Fast Cars and Freedom
by phoenix9648
Summary: SEQUEL to Friend Zone. Toby and Spencer, now a formulated couple, try to handle the ups and downs of their new relationship along with balance the difficulties in having their best friends dating and the chaos they endured before they got together. Will they be able to move on from their difficult pasts or will their insecurities get in the way? AUish. Multi-chapter. Spoby.
1. Chapter 1

Hello friends ! :) Guess who's back? Sorry for such a delay between stories, I really hadn't meant to take so long, but my inspiration was exploding all over the place and I had about five stories on the go for a while there...

Anyways, my love for you guys and this couple prevailed and I bring you the sequel to my previous story _Friend Zone_. Yes, you will need to read that story first, since this is an AU and things transpire differently here than in the regular PLL world. If you choose not to read it, things won't make as much sense but you hopefully can follow along...

Reminders that, like _Friend Zone_, this story will feature quotes, outfits, characters, moments from the show that you may or may not remember. This time, however, there will be original characters involved, but only where absolutely necessary since I want this to be as PLL based as possible. But.. .well... you'll see what I mean later :) Also, the quotes I use are not always said by the correct person. In this chapter alone Hanna says something that Ali said, and Toby says something that Wren did. If you see things, feel free to point them out ;) Brownie points to all the loyal PLLers. Also, no A. Since starting this sequel, I may potentially take back the no Ali thing... but I haven't decided yet. I have to see how things go. I may in fact write a third installment in this series haha I have too much love for this couple, no matter what the writers are currently doing to them... not even going there, read Betrayal for my true feelings on THAT matter...

ANYWAYS You guys were AMAZING last story so I hope you enjoy this one just as much :) This picks up only a couple weeks after the last one, putting it at the end of November. As a Canadian, our Thanksgiving is usually in October but I think the US' is usually towards the end of November, so that's where that comes from.

I will update as regularly as I can but now that summer is over I'm back to school and work, so I can't make any promises for how often I'll update. I do have the first few chapters written and some stuff in the middle that I'm currently trying to link the first parts to, so it shouldn't be too long :) Bare with me, I'll try to make it worth your while!

PS This story is named after the Rascal Flatts song of the same name. Somehow, I just felt it fit them.

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

It had only been two weeks since their first kiss, but it had been two weeks of bliss. Spencer and Toby had barely spent any time apart since. Their friends had been over the moon to hear about the pair finally becoming a formulated couple and they all fell in line shortly after, besides Maya and Emily who already were one.

Safe to say, things were looking up for the U Penn pair. All it took was Toby's morning routine slowing his route to school that first day of class and Spencer dropping her pen next to him at the perfect moment for their relationship to start its first steps.

They had become close friends quickly, best friends before long, and fell in love along the way. They had their obstacles to get past, both separately and together, but both were looking forward to tackling things as a united force from then on. That's when they were strongest.

After their first long awaited kiss in the hallway outside of her apartment, the two had discussed their relationship and wanting to take things slow. Both were still recovering from their most recent rough ending relationships and didn't want to complicate this one.

So far things had been pretty great. Even now, they were walking hand-in-hand along the beach. It was the same one Toby took her to the first day they had ever hung out outside of school. It had led to them going back to his apartment and Spencer admitting that she actually had a boyfriend.

But that was another story.

It was November, so they were pretty bundled up for the beach. But with the sun setting and the other close by, it didn't really matter.

"It's crazy to think of how far we've come since we've been here." Spencer said as she leaned her head against his shoulder as they strolled down the stretch of beach.

Toby smiled. "I'll say. Last time I tried to throw you in the ocean. Now I'm much more mature." he teased.

Spencer broke away from him, pulling out her challenging stance. "Oh really? Well maybe I'm not." she told him, yanking on his arm to try to drag him towards the freezing water.

Unfortunately, Toby was much stronger than she was. Fortunately, sand was not the most solid surface for holding his footing so he found himself stumbling into her.

"Two can play at that game." Toby retorted, scooping an arm behind her and lifting her over his shoulder.

"TOBY!" she squealed, causing a flock of birds to look rightfully offended a few feet away.

Spencer flailed in his arms, aiming half-hearted punches into his solid back. She twisted a certain way and he tried to catch her from actually falling, causing him to lose his own balance. They collapsed on top of each other on the sand, laughing uncontrollably.

"Okay, this is _exactly_ like last time now." Spencer admitted through her giggles.

Toby smirked. "I have a way to change that." he teased, leaning over her body and cupping behind her ear, covering her mouth with his.

Spencer kissed him back happily, loving the feel of his lips on hers. They had kissed countless times but she swore every time he did it felt like the first time. She couldn't imagine ever getting tired of this. He always kissed her with so much affection.

Toby was the one who finally broke away, an adoring smile on his face as he swept her hair off her cheek. He pressed his lips to hers once more before pushing himself off of the ground, offering his hand which she gladly accepted.

"You know, _speaking_ of that day…" Spencer said amusedly as she remembered back before she knew Toby was amazing as she knew him to be now. "I don't know if you noticed, but I nearly kissed you."

Toby chuckled at the memory, remembering how his insecure self convinced him out of believing the signs he read. "In the parking garage at my building?"

Spencer giggled, nodding. "So you _did_ notice."

"Yeah… and then Jenna ruined it." he reminisced irritably.

"It was a good thing I guess. I was still with Wren then. But that was the first day I realized I was falling for you; that you were special. I originally wanted to just get that French assignment done but I easily would've spent that whole day on the beach with you." she confessed.

"But then we might not have gotten those delicious eggrolls." Toby reminded her, remembering how excited she had been when she first bit into one.

"MAN they were so good!" Spencer exclaimed, suddenly louder than before, causing him to laugh.

"We'll have to get them again soon." he teased. "For now, we've got a party to get to."

* * *

Spencer and Hanna had decided to have the four couples over to their apartment, having realized it was the first time they all had boyfriends/girlfriends at the same time in their entire friendship. Plus they hadn't gotten together as a group since the club night after midterms a few weeks previous.

Ezra, Caleb and even Toby had only hung out with everybody once but they fit in so easily it was like they had known everyone for years.

There was some music that was playing in the background but for the most part they were all just catching up and talking amongst themselves.

Caleb was consumed in a story from Ezra about Aria putting Simone in her place at the coffee shop, who was still hanging off of Ezra at every available opportunity. Ezra stood next to the couch with Aria, his arms encircling the much shorter girl in front of him with her hands interlocked with his on her belly. Caleb had been hoping a slap was involved in the story but to no avail. Aria meanwhile was interjecting corrections, giggling at Ezra's embellishments while Caleb jokingly booed at the less exciting additions to the story.

"Spence, try to come out of school mode for five minutes." Hanna begged from her end of the couch, Caleb's arm wrapped around her waist. Spencer was on her laptop at the other end.

"Hanna, second semester course selection is only two days away. I need to make sure I have my schedule perfect before I fight the rest of U Penn for the best class times. Ugh, why do they give me so much flexibility? There are so many great classes…"

"How many classes are you taking so far?" Emily asked supportively, she and Maya curled up together in the armchair closest to Hanna and Caleb. Maya was joining Caleb in listening to Ezra's retellings, laughing as she threw out suggestions of a better ending with Caleb cheering in agreement.

"Four. I'm not taking six classes this semester, just five. I only have a four-point-oh this semester and I really can't afford to let myself slide anymore." The entire room would've rolled their eyes if they were listening. "So I only need one more class."

"You should take something fun. Spencer-Hastings-level fun anyways." Hanna suggested.

"I do sort of want to take something a little different… something that will add some versatility to my résumé. I really don't want five law classes about proper procedures in business transactions and such." Spencer said irritably as she continued scrolling through. "It's got to be within my field but it _is_ an elective…"

Her legs were lying over Toby's lap, his arm circled behind her back which was leaning against the arm rest.

"Toby… what should I take?" she pouted, causing him to smile. Everything she did he found pretty adorable.

He peered at the screen as she scrolled through the list. "Well I have an extra elective next semester too and I was considering taking something completely offbeat from my program, like healthcare ethics. The course is provided for those in the medical field but it's an open class. It discusses the issues that come up in different fields of healthcare and the rules hospitals have and stuff. It sounded interesting when I looked into it… I think you'd like it. It's that one there." He said, pointing it out on the academic calendar.

"That's perfect! If I switch these two around, we can even have break together twice a week. Thank you, Toby!" Spencer said excitedly, kissing him quickly on the mouth before copying the course ID number down.

Toby rubbed her lower back underneath her double layered tank top affectionately with his thumb. "I just can't wait to see you in a heated debate. Considering how you react in friendly games of _Sorry_…"

"Well come on, was it _really _necessary for you to knock me down that many times? I don't know how you got all of those cards at every perfect moment-"

"…or _Clue_…"

"Why would Colonel Mustard use the candlestick in the conservatory? No one _ever_ murders someone in the conservatory!"

"…and don't even get me started on _Scrabble_."

"_Junker_ should NOT be classified as a word. And you got _thirty-six_ points off of it!"

Toby grinned. "But it was a word. You googled it on your phone. And then I won." he added mischievously, knowing how much she hated being reminded of her losses. Somehow their nights at his apartment always ended up with them trying out a new board game.

Spencer jutted out her bottom lip even further. It was only a game but it was in her blood to be overly competitive. She was used to winning. Having Toby beat her and by so much multiple times made her skin crawl.

"You suck." she mumbled childishly, not wanting to admit how truly bothered she was. It made her skin all hot and itchy when she remembered her past fails, however small or pathetic.

The others had been watching the couple's exchange in amusement but sensing the fun was over, turned back to their conversations.

"Hey. Spence, you know I'm only teasing." Toby probed gently, caressing her face and turning it towards him to meet her eyes.

She looked down shamefully. She wished it wasn't a big deal to her but her DNA made it difficult for her to just _get over_ it instantly. She hated her weakness of needing to be the best at everything.

"I know." she sighed.

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "You've beat me just as many times if not more. Don't be so hard on yourself, it's only for fun."

"I'm a Hastings, Toby. My family doesn't handle imperfection well." she reminded him.

"Well for the record, I'm looking and I can't find any flaws." he murmured, smiling lovingly at her, and the icy barrier she had placed around her bruised heart melted away. She smiled in return and pulled him into a tender kiss, both of them forgetting about the other inhabitants in the room.

"Alright, you two are disgustingly cute." Aria teased and they broke apart blushing crimson. "About as cute as those two." she added, nodding towards Maya and Emily. Maya was whispering something in Emily's ear that caused her to giggle and blush, shoving her playfully before returning the gesture, completely oblivious to the environment around them now.

"I'm disappointed there wasn't a slap in there." Caleb commented as Ezra wrapped up his story.

Aria rolled her eyes. "Well maybe I have more manners than your girlfriend." she teased, batting away Hanna's playful slaps.

"Bitch needed to be put in her place." Hanna said stoutly, as casual as if that was Jenna's real name.

"How have things been with Jenna since then?" Emily asked Toby, coming out of Emaya world.

"We talked and have an agreement to stay out of each other's business from now on. We've been civil. It's odd but much better than walking on eggshells. Actually, I haven't seen her much since me and Spencer got together. She's been avoiding the apartment I guess but I'm not sure where she spends her time."

"Probably out in the woods, sacrificing squirrels." Hanna snickered.

The others rolled their eyes but couldn't help but smirk a little at the cruel joke.

"To be honest, she was_ really_ nice to me after my break-up with Wren. I was at her door bawling my eyes out and she immediately took care of me… it was so unexpected. But she really has changed since their talk." Spencer said with a shrug.

Most of them looked pretty skeptical but eventually accepted it.

"Doesn't mean we're going to start inviting her to hang out with us." Toby reassured the others. "I'm not even going home for Thanksgiving tomorrow with her."

Spencer was surprised the most out of everyone; he hadn't mentioned that. "What are you doing for Thanksgiving then?"

He shrugged. "Staying here I guess."

"You should save me from my parents and come home with me." Spencer told him, squeezing his forearm.

"HA that'll go well." Hanna laughed.

Spencer shot her a dirty look.

"Oh come on, Spence, your parents are pretty intimidating." she reminded her.

"Well he's going to have to meet them some time… and they'll love him. How could they not?" she cooed to Toby who rolled his eyes at her cutesy impression as she tried not to grin. She really wasn't the cutesy girlfriend type so he knew she was only doing it to bug him.

"Just your parents?" Toby inquired and she understood what he was truly asking. He was the only one who knew the full truth of why she and Wren broke up.

"Yeah, Melissa's going to be in Washington for some fancy smart people seminar thing. My parents will probably spend the entire dinner talking about her and all she's done that I've missed. Which is why I would love an ally…" she said pointedly, swaying her eyes one direction before sweeping back up to his face.

He smirked and, knowing he was probably going to regret it, agreed. "Fine. But if I'm drowning, you better save me."

She beamed. "Of course."

"Pre-warning Toby… Spencer's parents are lawyers that founded the firm _Hastings and Reiban_. She has _staff_ that dusts her books. Her house-"

"Alright, Han, I think that's enough." Spencer said, blushing as Ezra, Caleb, Maya and even Toby looked surprised. They knew she came from a higher class but they hadn't realized quite how well off her family really was.

"Spence, he should know what he's getting into. Your family is one of the richest in Rosewood." Aria reminded her kindly. "You'll be fine, Toby. They're intimidating but once they get to know you, you're golden."

Toby however missed her comment as he turned to Spencer in shock. "You live in Rosewood?"

Spencer nodded in confusion.

"Yeah, Toby we all do." Emily piped up.

He lifted his arms slightly, palms raised, in disbelief. "My parents live in Rosewood. I'm on Oakwood."

Emily and the rest of the room's eyes went wide. "That's my street. Wait! You're at number 47? The black door and the red bricks? A new, blended family only moved in there a few months ago. My mom said they had two teenagers but she didn't know their names."

Spencer started smacking Toby. "How could you leave this out? We live two streets away from each other!"

Toby laughed, wrestling her right back. "How could _you_ leave this out? I don't know how we even came this far without knowing that."

"Looks like you guys were destined to be together no matter what." Aria commented wisely with a smirk, although they didn't need that little geographical fact to know.

The couple separated their play-fighting, aiming fake-glares at each other before Spencer was wrapped up in his arms again. They just weren't good at staying apart. He absent-mindedly stroked her calves that were in his lap.

Spencer fished her phone out of her pocket and began typing away. "Done. Now you can't get out of it." she said happily.

Toby looked bewildered. "What did you do?"

"Emailed my parents to save you a seat at Thanksgiving dinner." she said easily.

"You don't want to call them? Make sure it's okay?"

"Nope. In the Hastings household, the less personal contact, the better. Most of our interactions are through email. I used to text them when I lived at home if I was going to be home late or miss dinner or something." Spencer explained and then a beep came from her phone. She opened the message. "They look forward to meeting you."

Toby would say something about how strange her family was but he couldn't really talk. After his mom died, he barely interacted with anyone in his family, period. Except Jenna, but he'd rather not dwell on _those_ memories.

"You haven't seen them much since graduation, have you?" Aria asked Spencer.

Toby watched his girlfriend carefully. Something was stirring in her eyes but she forced a smile. "Ah, don't you remember, 'something came up'? They didn't make it to graduation. After that, they spent all of their time working, going on business trips and fixing up the lake house. I was doing that internship so I barely saw them all summer. I've been treated like something diseased since I started dating Wren, which extends to missing important milestones in my life apparently."

"You have a LAKE HOUSE?" Caleb asked incredulously, that being the only thing he took out of her rather sad confession.

Spencer laughed. "It's been in the family for a while. It's mostly filled with my nana's old furniture. We should all go next summer though. Conveniently enough, there are four bedrooms."

Caleb made a disbelieving noise while the others smirked.

"When Spencer says lake house… she means HOUSE. It's not just some small low life cabin. It even has an attic." Hanna explained sympathetically to Caleb.

Spencer corrected her throat, wanting the subject change desperately. People always got weird when she talked about her family's wealth and frankly, she didn't like to talk about it in the first place. No matter what kind of tone you used or how you said it, it always seemed like bragging. Spencer knew full well she had been much more fortunate than most. But it didn't stop her from getting accusatory glances every time money was brought up.

"I think that sounds like a blast." Toby inputted, causing Spencer to smile gratefully at him. He could see she was uncomfortable. He wouldn't tell her that he was secretly excited at the thought of her having faith that they would be together over six months from now.

"I wish it wasn't almost winter and we could go now… that lake is so beautiful in the summer." Emily said dreamily.

"You guys should start training now if you have any hopes of keeping up with Em, the fish, in that water." Maya said affectionately, the pride in her girlfriend's talents clear as day. Emily grinned happily at her, interlocking their fingers in their overlapping laps.

Spencer's phone beeped again and she pulled out. She made a face. "Oh joy. My parents say they have a surprise for me when we come. No concerns there."

Toby rubbed her knee comfortingly. "Maybe it'll be a good thing."

Spencer laughed. "Yeah… right. Once you meet them, you'll see what I mean."

Toby grimaced. He was getting more nervous by the minute.


	2. Chapter 2

My lovelies, sorry for the wait. The scene I morph into my story from PLL is my favorite scene from the show, one of my top Spoby moments for sure, for so many reasons. Rewatching it always restores my faith in my babies. Toby LOVES her. He wants her to be happy. I know it.

Thank you all SOO much for the reviews last chapter :) you guys are awesome.

In this chapter- Spencer's outfit was featured in 3x09, Toby's shirt in 2x11, in case my writing wasn't clear enough.

I hope you guys like it :) I snipped and chopped and butchered it about a hundred times so let me know if anythings off haha. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I know they probably shouldn't have taken Toby's bike, what with Spencer wearing a tight skirt and all, but Toby doesn't have the truck soooooo it was the only way for everything to work. Plus Spencer LOVES that thing.

I'm not sure entirely how all universities work, but for the sake of the story, U Penn has a GPA scale going up to 4.3, which is pretty standard I do believe. Also, for those who haven't read _Friend Zone_, this chapter will probably be confusing. I'd suggest you read it, especially chapter nine ;)

OH. Also, I'm on twitter now if anyone wants to follow me :) phoenix9648. Very original of me. I'll try to keep you guys updated on there when I'll be updating next. I'm back in school again so things are going to be a little crazy but I'm definitely going to set aside time for writing throughout my busy schedule so stay tuned :) I've got the next chapter partly written so it shouldn't be too long! I'm also going to try to post another Troigan this weekend, for all those that are interested.

Reviews would be muuuch appreciated! :) Enjoy!

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

After all of the teasing from the day before, Toby really didn't know what to think. He knew he'd have to meet Spencer's family eventually but after all the comments from everyone yesterday he was more nervous than ever. He had never had a proper girlfriend before so this was an entirely new experience for him. By the sounds of it, he was diving right into it with the most intimidating parents in Rosewood. It was only made worse by the fact that they were _Spencer's_ parents; he wanted even more badly to impress them. He didn't want to embarrass her.

Toby left his bedroom in just a wife beater and dark pants when he heard a knock on his apartment door.

"Hey. You look beautiful." he told his girlfriend, kissing her quickly in greeting before closing the door behind her.

She was dressed in a mid-waisted multicolored tweed skirt and a nice white short-sleeved soft blouse. Her mahogany hair was pulled to the side and her make-up was nice and natural, his favorite way.

"Sorry, I'm running a little late. I sound like a girl but I can't figure out what to wear."

Spencer chuckled. "Maybe I can help?"

He smiled and took her hand, leading her to his room. He had a few different dress shirts laid out. She sat on the edge of his bed, evaluating his choices.

"This one." Spencer decided, pointing at the grey-blue button up. "It'll bring out those gorgeous eyes of yours."

Toby smirked a little but couldn't tame the pink that rose to his cheeks. He wasn't accustomed to receiving compliments. Realizing the material was thick enough not to need something underneath, Toby shed his wife beater and picked up the dress shirt.

Spencer swallowed, not able to stop herself from staring at his chiseled upper body. He was gorgeous. She felt her mouth go dry. It still amazed her that this sweet man was her boyfriend, and that he had that body to boot…

Toby caught her staring and pretended not to notice, secretly sucking in his lips to keep himself from laughing. It was so strange to see her lose her composure and turn into a teenage girl. She always acted older than her age, having maturity beyond her years. But he was glad he could still pull out that side of her. Not to mention her child-like side every time they got into some sort of fight over something ridiculous.

He finished dressing and observed himself in the mirror. The outfit overall was a decent mix of dressed up and casual. He didn't look like he was going to a five star fancy restaurant but he also didn't look like he was staying in on a lazy Sunday.

"So?" Toby turned to the brunette, seeking her stamp of approval.

She stood and smiled, linking an arm with him to stand next to him in the full length mirror. "Very handsome."

He smiled. "Good, now I can look like I'm _actually_ your boyfriend. With outstanding beauty like yours, it's hard to look the part." he teased.

Spencer blushed and sort of ducked her head a little. He loved when she got shy when he complimented her. It was too adorable.

"You always call me beautiful, no matter what I'm wearing." she argued, as if that was a proper point.

He laughed. "That's because it's always _true_, even when you're just in my old t-shirt."

Her blush deepened but she kept her head held high. "Admit it. You have a fetish for seeing me in your clothes." she countered, giggling, having noticed the lingering looks over the few times she had borrowed his clothes. She kept the first shirt she had stolen of his at her apartment and planned on extending the collection as soon as she could.

Toby shrugged, chuckling. "It's a guy thing." he said simply, pulling her close and kissing her tenderly.

Spencer was happy to get lost in kissing him, her hands pressing into his shoulders to lift herself to reach his mouth even easier. Toby couldn't help but indulge a little too, his hands gripping her waist as their lips met lovingly.

He gradually pulled them apart. She pouted, causing him to laugh again.

"We're already running late. We better get this over with. You've got to brief me on proper Hastings answers for the interrogation I'm sure to get."

Spencer grimaced. "It's only a forty-five minute drive, Toby…"

He looked at her in a panic and she cackled and skipped out of the door.

"Oh, you are just _so_ witty, Spencer…" he retorted sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he followed.

* * *

Toby hadn't managed to stop the 'you live _here_?' question from tumbling out of his mouth upon arriving at the _gates_ to her house. Thankfully, once they had greeted her parents he had managed to get his head back on straight.

Veronica and Peter Hastings welcomed them inside and they all sat together in the living room. Spencer squeezed his hand reassuringly. He hoped he didn't look like he was about to pass out as much as he felt like it.

"So you two know each other from school?" Peter asked as he sipped at his drink.

They both nodded.

"We have French and Calculus together." she explained, unable to help the loving glance she sent Toby. Even working on homework with him was enjoyable, and normally she preferred to do homework on her own since people were too distracted and interrupted her. But with Toby, he was the perfect balance of focus and keeping her entertained. He somehow made studying fun; and not the academic nerd type she normally had.

"So Toby, what are you studying?" Veronica asked politely.

"Architecture. I apprenticed with a master carpenter this past summer and have worked construction the few before that. I grew up working with wood but I've always been more interested in building foundations and designing." he explained.

Peter looked intrigued to Spencer's surprise. "Do you have any experiencing working with blueprints or yard layouts?"

Toby nodded. "Yeah, I've assisted in designing a few. Nothing on my own. But I know how to follow them pretty well."

"Do me a favor. Take a look at this and tell me what you think…" Peter said, standing up to pull out some papers from his briefcase and spreading them out on the island in the kitchen.

Spencer was about to protest but Toby squeezed her knee, letting her know it was okay, and followed her father.

"We're getting a fence put in on the property line." Peter began, pointing towards the sketches.

Toby looked concerned as he ran his eyes over the map.

Peter immediately picked up on it. "What is it?"

Toby forced a smile. "Well, I can't say for sure since I don't know the contractor personally… but if his team follows this map exactly the way I've been taught you'll be overlapping the property line in this section here… I'm not sure if your neighbors are the type to care, but it could bring an unnecessary lawsuit up. With the barn, were these measurements your input or did they make the layout?"

Peter looked intrigued now. "They did."

"If you don't mind my asking, did you offer an opinion on the space you wished to take priority? Because with these measurements, the bedroom will have a tight squeeze for most furniture whereas the bathroom will have enough room for a hot tub and a full bath. You wouldn't be able to fit more than a double in the bedroom and probably a single small night table. Definitely not a full dresser, although with the closet size that may not be necessary. In fact, if you could live with less closet space, you could alter these measurements here and still fit your desired furniture without expanding the structure as a whole or overcrowding the bathroom area."

Spencer tried not to grin as she saw how impressed her father was with Toby's response. Spencer, too, was surprised by his expertise. She knew he was amazing with wood but she had no idea how much architecture really was his calling. He obviously learned a lot in previous work because he was passionate about it.

"Do you mind if I take a look at it? The contractor may just formulate blue prints differently than the ones I've worked with, but if not they're really not maximizing your space in the best way." Toby admitted, not wanting to step on anyone's toes but knowing that Spencer's father would prefer him to stand strongly behind his opinions.

Peter nodded vigorously. "Yes, of course. I'll show you how the fence is coming along too and you can verify if that mistake really is being made."

And without another glance at the women, Peter and Toby disappeared outside.

Veronica turned to Spencer amusedly. "Seems your father has taken a liking to him. Toby seems like a very nice young man."

Spencer smiled happily. "He's incredible. He's really smart too as you can probably tell." she couldn't help but brag a little.

"Well he's very polite. He obviously was raised right." Veronica agreed, pouring more wine. "Your surprise will be here soon, by the way."

Spencer was nervous for the excited look on her mother's face. She was a little too sly, and Spencer knew immediately she wouldn't like whatever it was. Her parents weren't the best at knowing what she actually wanted.

Toby and Peter came back in a few minutes later, saving Spencer from her crazy thoughts of what surprise was in store for her. She instantly smiled at her boyfriend, interlocking their fingers when he sat next to her. Glancing quickly at her distracted parents, she pressed a soft kiss to his mouth.

"They love you." she murmured happily, always feeling a little light-headed after kissing him.

He smiled. "I still feel like I'm going to pass out." he teased back honestly, but squeezed her hand, grateful for the news. Maybe now he could relax a little.

"So what was the verdict outside?" Veronica asked her husband as she poured more wine.

He aimed a smile at Toby and Spencer had to admit she was surprised at how genuine it was. Her father was obviously impressed with him and that was saying a lot.

"Well, thanks to Toby, I'll be having words with the contractor. If you were closer by, I'd have you lead the project. You obviously know what you're doing over that man."

Toby smiled, feeling a sense of pride wash over him. It's not that he thought he was bad at it or didn't know what he was talking about, but he was happy that someone who had worked with countless professionals still found his opinion so valid. "That's very generous of you, sir."

Veronica and Peter shared a look, smiling, and Spencer knew that Toby had passed the test.

"You called him sir." Spencer half-whispered/half-squealed in her boyfriend's ear.

Toby laughed quietly. "It was a reflex. I'm glad they seem to like me but I'm still on the verge of fainting."

Spencer giggled into him. Nervous Toby was something she hadn't seen much of but just like all other parts of him, he was adorable.

"Everything is going to be fine." she reassured him.

"Is that a motorcycle you've got out there?" Peter interrupted, remembering the vehicle he saw when they went in the backyard.

Spencer felt nervous. She hadn't thought about that. Her parents were the king and queen of properness. Motorcycles spelled out rebellion and lowlifes in their arrogant minds.

Toby seemed to realize the faux paux in the same moment. "Um… yes. I uh… actually built the most of it myself."

The Hastings' that were present looked surprised.

"Wow. It sounds like she runs beautifully. You know, when I was a teenager I had myself a real beauty. That's how I picked up this one." Peter said, patting his wife's knee jokingly.

She rolled her eyes. "Too bad it barely ran. It'd stall every two kilometers."

"Yeah, well, I still got the girl." he said amusedly while Toby and Spencer laughed.

Spencer squeezed Toby's hand happily, never having seen her parents so light-hearted. They never talked about the past or growing up. They had met in college and married after graduating law school. Spencer had never gotten details like this.

Leave it to Toby to bring out the warmth in even her uptight parents.

There was a knock on the door and then in burst in a smartly dressed brunette, grinning brightly until she laid her eyes on Spencer.

"Surprise!" Veronica and Peter said together, chortling at their own rather pathetic cleverness of keeping it a secret.

Spencer stood, staring in shock. "Melissa."

* * *

Melissa looked just as clueless at seeing her there, which alerted both sisters that their parents had surprised them both with the extra guest.

Unconsciously, Toby stepped just slightly in front of Spencer in a protective stance.

"I thought you were in D.C." Spencer said, trying not to sound as accusatory as she wanted to.

"I thought you had a school thing." Melissa replied uneasily.

It occurred to Toby as well as both girls that if they had known the other was coming, they would've made up some excuse to avoid it.

"Well come in, darling, I want to hear all about Wharton." Veronica said, gesturing her oldest daughter inside.

"This is Toby, my boyfriend." Spencer added stoutly, challenging Melissa to say something.

"Nice to meet you, Melissa." Toby said automatically, shaking her hand.

She nodded her agreement but by the look in her eyes, she suddenly knew that he was well aware of what had gone on the month previous.

She broke away from them and went to greet her parents properly. Spencer sat numbly down, Toby immediately wrapping his arm around her comfortingly.

"I can't believe she's here. I never wanted to see her again. She's going to humiliate me." Spencer whispered, trying to keep the tears at bay as she imagined her whole family laughing jollily at her mistakes.

"Spence, she seems just as uneasy seeing you. Are you sure she even knows exactly what she did…?"

"Of course she knows." Spencer cut in acidly. "That's exactly why she did it, to further prove to me that I will never win when in competition with her."

She breathed out slowly.

"I'm sorry, Toby. I shouldn't snap at you. None of this is your fault." she said sadly, rubbing her forehead in stress.

"It's okay. We'll get through dinner, fake our way through dessert, and head back home."

She nodded. "Can I stay over tonight?" she asked quietly, and he could see how truly vulnerable she was feeling right now. Seeing Melissa had really shaken her up and brought back a lot of unwelcome feelings.

Toby pressed his lips to her temple. "Of course. I even have some bubblegum ice cream in the freezer in case this went badly." he teased, causing her to giggle. She remembered after her break-up with Wren how he had sought out her favorite ice cream from when she was a kid to cheer her up. Add that to a bunch of other sweet gestures, a feel-good movie and just plain time with him, her mood had done a complete one-eighty.

"Melissa, let's hear about Wharton." Veronica said, bringing her into the living room and sitting across from Toby and Spencer with her husband.

Melissa gulped back a little too much wine before starting her retellings. "Well besides being on the student council, working in the dean's office and being head of the social committee, I still am managing to keep my GPA at a four-point-two-five. One of my professors wants me TAing next semester too." she added with an air of arrogance Toby had never heard on her sister despite them having mirroring reasons to.

Spencer fought not to roll her eyes at the nonchalance her sister portrayed. She knew deep down there were nights when Melissa probably wanted to just get changed in her pajamas and watch reruns of The O.C. But she would never admit that to their parents, which is why she was the favorite.

Both parents looked impressed and were gleeful over her accomplishments. "Melissa, that's incredible. That school knew you were a force to be reckoned with and you only continue to confirm it." Peter said proudly.

Melissa sipped at her wine, smiling in that seemingly fake way of hers.

"Spencer, how about you? How is your GPA?" Veronica asked, targeting her youngest daughter.

Spencer swallowed. She wished she could lie, but frankly, she was still like a little kid with her parents. She always owned up to her failures so they could give her the proper scolding she felt she deserved.

"Well I'm taking six classes… so I've only got a four-point-oh-seven this quarter." she admitted.

Mr. Hastings looked surprised. "Well there's still time before the semester ends. You'll have to do better than that if you plan on getting into law school at the end of all of this."

Spencer practically bowed her head. "I know." she replied.

Toby, however, couldn't help himself from speaking up. "I think it's remarkable that her marks are that high when she's taking such challenging courses, not to mention one more class than most. I don't know anyone with that high of a GPA and they're all taking less than she is."

Spencer smiled gratefully at him, but Peter didn't change his tune.

"Well it's probably hard for _you_ to understand…" he said patronizingly. "But as a Hastings, there is a certain level of excellence one must represent."

Spencer wanted to speak up about her father's rudeness, but Toby was faster and remained calm, seemingly not offended. "With all due respect, Mr. Hastings, you have a beautiful family and a beautiful home. But you spend so much time trying to improve them that you don't seem to really appreciate what you already have."

"I don't think you have a right to tell me what I think or feel." Spencer's father said darkly, sensing the beginnings of an argument.

Spencer unconsciously placed a protective hand on Toby's forearm.

Toby nodded. "But I do have a right to an opinion, which is all it is. You seem to forget that you don't just have one incredible daughter, but two. Spencer works harder than anybody I know. She balances six university classes with a social life and adjusting to living on her own for the first time. You should be proud of who she's become more than what grade point average she has, which is incredible on its own. But Spencer is a generous, loving, kind-hearted individual. She is mature beyond her years and unfailingly loyal. She's a hard worker, ambitious, intelligent and doesn't let the life she's lived make her arrogant or any less grateful for the opportunities she has. She's amazing and I think it'd be wise you remember that."

"Well that may be but her taste in boyfriends is certainly working against her." Peter hissed, his patience obviously running out, standing now. His temper was a pretty short fuse on a good day but he wasn't used to people confronting him without being intimidated by him. He did not take well to young people especially dishing him a reality check, however accurate or inaccurate it may be.

Toby quickly followed his lead, rising from his seat and his eyes flickered momentarily to Melissa. "I think you should get the full story before you decide that, Mr. Hastings."

He looked flabbergasted but Toby realized in the same moment as everyone else that he had definitely crossed a line. Peter had not missed the glance to Melissa.

He stepped forward so he was inches from Toby, Spencer immediately slipping between them and keeping one hand on her father's chest while the other wrapped around Toby to keep him securely behind her.

"And just who the hell are you, huh? Did you come to my house just to stir up trouble?"

"Dad, stop it." Spencer pleaded, tugging on his arm as he jerked it out of her grasp. She had seen the look in Toby's eyes once before, and it was the look he later admitted was linked to his craving to clock the guy in the face. Right now he appeared eerily calm and that almost frightened her more than the crazed look in her father's eyes.

"You don't get to stand here, in _my_ house, and tell me what I think of my own daughter."

"I won't sit by and let you talk down to her." Toby said seriously, standing his ground without fail.

"It's none of your damn business! None of this is!" he shouted, practically spitting in Toby's face.

"Dad…" Spencer said warningly, backing up with Toby as Peter fought to get closer to the younger man despite her physical protests.

"Why don't you get on that bike of yours and keep driving, you got me?!"

"Just don't listen to him." Spencer said in an undertone to Toby, trying to soothe his nerves. He was still frighteningly still.

"Spencer, don't get in the middle of this!" Peter snarled, trying to get at Toby but she pushed firmly against him.

"I _am_ in the middle of this!" she shouted back, the first time she had ever really talked back to her parents in her entire life.

His eyes narrowed at her. "Get away from him, Spencer. This ends now. I want him out of my house. You're staying here."

Spencer clenched her jaw. Enough was enough. "You were right about one thing, Dad. Maybe my choice in boyfriends is working against me, at least until I met Toby. Even with the complications of dating Wren, at least he fit your cookie-cutter image of the life that I supposedly want. But why don't you ask Melissa exactly why that life is wrong for me? _Mom_ may get over things like that, but _I_ don't want to date a _cheater_."

Melissa's eyes went huge at her words and her eyes teared up. She must not have been expecting Spencer to call her out on it in front of their parents.

Despite the chaotic fury that had been going down, Peter and Veronica looked rightfully confused. Mr. Hastings was still breathing heavily like a bull.

"You know I deeply regret-"

"Save it, Dad. You only regret getting caught. And by the looks of it, that runs in the family." she said bitterly to her sister.

And with that, Spencer pushed Toby out of the door and ran to his bike. Toby placed a hand on her arm before they mounted.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry I got into it with your dad. I just couldn't handle him talking to you like that-"

But Spencer was kissing him before he could get another word out, her arms wrapping around his neck to hold him closer. "You have no idea how much that meant to me. I've never had anyone stick up for me like that, especially to my crazy family. Thank you. You gave me courage to say a lot of stuff I've been needing to get out." she told him honestly.

Toby smiled, kissing the top of her head as he hugged her. "I'll say. I think you dropped a few bombs on the way out. Guess we'll be needing that bubblegum ice cream after all. And some dinner."

"Oh, right, sorry… do you want to visit your parents?" she asked, feeling bad for ruining their dinner plans. She was starting to get really hungry now.

"No thank you." Toby said with a laugh. "I wasn't even formally invited. They called Jenna to convince her to come but although she mentioned it to me, I wasn't really feeling like going back to that house."

It occurred to Spencer that what happened to Toby may have been happening when they were merely streets apart. She knew it had to be longer than that, since it had been going on the summer before he moved there, but still. It made her feel guilty that she had never known, and a part of her wondered how many other things went on in this town when no one was looking.

Spencer cuddled into his shoulder. "Can we go home then? Your place? I'm so glad you came today, no matter how things turned out." she said honestly.

He nodded. "Of course. We should pick up some food on the way."

Spencer climbed on the back of his motorcycle with him, squeezing him extra tight around his middle in gratitude. She honestly didn't know what she would do without him.


	3. Chapter 3

Good Lord am I sorry for taking so long to update. I have NEVER in my writing career cut and chopped and severed a chapter as much as I did this one. I was so unsure where to go with it and this one has some really important stuff that I needed to get out there, while still leaving it with enough flexibility for later. So I do so apologize but I want to do this story justice.

ANYWAYS You guys are amazing! Your reviews and responses have been beyond incredible. For the few I've had a pleasure of speaking to on twitter (such as my fantastic soul sisterrr, you know who you are ;) ), you've all been wonderful and this extra long chapter is for you :) I'm going to try to update as soon as I can. College has started up for me again so my time is a little limited but I have a better idea of where I'm going with this story and I'm getting closer to the couple chapters I have written in the middle, so my updates should get a little more regular really soon :)

I mention the term 'Siren' in this. No, I am not referring to the weeooo weooo emergency type haha. But I mean the mythical creature that sings and essentially magically brainwashes men without them even realizing. In mythology, they used to lure sailors with their enchanting voices/music into crashing their boats into the rocky island they lay on. I know a version of Siren was featured on shows like Charmed as well (played by Melinda Clarke, win), so there are obviously alternate versions. It's just a veryy short reference, but in case you were like ... um what? Actually, after that explanation, you probably still feel that way...

Umm Google?

Not too much stolen from the show in this chapter, but I love those that are pointing them out, you guys make me far too happy :) Gotta love loyal PLLers ;) BUT things to look forward: Jenna's return ;), Spoby comforting Spoby andddddd the end of this chapter hints at a rather crucial Spoby moment coming up that I know you ALL are going to be excited about ;)

ALSO If there are any specific moments/things you'd like to see, I'm always up for ideas :) The really crucial Spoby moments, besides ones that are directly related to the A drama (pretending not to love you was the hardest thing I've ever done... beautiful moment, but not exactly going to fit happy Spoby here...), I will be featuring for sure, but if there is anything you'd like to see of the other couples even, I will do my best to incorporate them in. I know where I want this story to go, but if you have anything you'd like to see happen with it that I can make work with what I want for my story myself, then I am all ears :) Like any artist, fan input is the most important x3

PS That Halloween clip? Have I freaked out over this with all of you yet? AHYRGHAKFEHKSERJFS. Whistling will never be the same...

PPS Follow me on twitter if you want? phoenix9648 ! Can't guarantee I'll say anything profound or even interesting, but if you want to talk Spoby or PLL, I'm alwayssss game ;)

I will update my Troigan story as soon as I stop passing out every time I watch that steamy scene from 3x02. So it might be a little while, but I'm trying to push through! ;)

ENJOY!

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

By the time they got back to his apartment, Indian take-out by Toby's suggestion in hand, Spencer was starting to feel the adrenaline rush from her fight with her family leave and be replaced with guilt and remorse. She had wanted to be the bigger person over what happened with Melissa and Wren. It's not as though Spencer wanted Wren back or anything; she was over the moon happy with Toby. But the fact that Wren had cheated on her with Melissa that one drunken fight night… it still hurt.

"Spencer? Do you hate it?" Toby asked worriedly, seeing the forlorn expression on his girlfriend's face as she pushed her butter chicken around her plate, not even having taken a bite yet.

Spencer looked up distractedly and he saw the tears in her eyes. Immediately he set their plates on the coffee table and pulled her into his lap, hugging her. His sweet, caring gesture only made her want to cry harder. She held back though, hating how often she had broken down in front of Toby since they met. She wasn't someone who normally cried, let alone let someone see her do so. It was a sign of weakness and she was a Hastings and Hastings' were anything but weak. But with Toby, she craved the comfort he always provided and couldn't help but lose herself in her emotions around him.

He rubbed her back, wishing he knew what to say to make it all better.

"I'm sorry." she whispered.

Toby shook his head and let her nuzzle closer, kissing her forehead. She closed her eyes in bliss. She loved the security she felt when she was wrapped in his arms. It was like nothing could touch her. She knew she was always safe and taken care of when Toby was nearby. He had only further proved the theory in reality several times in the past.

As much as she wanted to just let his comforting arms wash away all the doubts and mixed feelings, she knew she owed him some answers and frankly, she needed to talk.

"I know my family is crazy and so messed up…" she began, wiping at her eyes to prevent any slippage of water and hiccupping a breath.

Toby understood though. "But they're still your family."

She nodded, feeling ashamed. Toby was strong enough to separate himself from his family, but she wasn't. She still felt the familiar feeling of wanting to please them, impress them. A part of her was hoping they'd be proud of how she stood up for herself. But basing things on their affronted expressions, she knew that wasn't happening any time soon.

"Spence, you love them and despite what I said, I know they love you too. They try to push you because they know you can always do better, that you have so much potential at everything. I just wish they'd stop pushing so much and congratulate you on what you've already accomplished." he explained.

She smiled a little. She loved all of the things Toby had said to her parents about her. She could hear in his voice how much he believed in her and she loved him for it. She'd never had such a strong supporter before he came along.

"It's hard, but I'm used to that sort of pressure. I don't know anything else." she said honestly.

It was true that her family's pressure had morphed her into a perfectionist and an incredibly hard worker, but she didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing. She was building a future for herself and feeling independent since she had left home to go to U Penn. She was proud of how far she had come. She never would have felt this confident moving out and starting a new life unless she felt she could handle it. And with that Hastings force being so great for so long, she knew she could.

Toby nodded. "I know. But I also know how much their approval means to you and seeing them fail to support you when you deserve it…" he trailed off.

Spencer squeezed his hands. "You have no idea how much I appreciate you speaking up for me. I really needed to say a few things myself. But now… I just think I should've held my tongue. I mean, Wren broke up with Melissa because he was more interested in me and then we started dating. It's not as though I've been a saint to her all these years…"

Toby tucked her hair behind her ear, holding her securely on his lap. "And it doesn't mean you deserve what happened to you either. Melissa probably didn't either but things happen, Spence. You can't control the past. All you can do now is learn from it." he reminded her.

She nodded, exhaling slowly, still curled up in his arms.

There was silence between them for a few minutes as Toby continued to stroke her side lovingly. She was sure he was doing it unconsciously, just letting his knuckles run along her rib cage and down to her hip, but she loved him even more for that fact. Finally she gathered her thoughts enough to speak.

"I'm sorry things got ruined tonight. My parents were really taking a liking to you too, especially my dad." she sighed unhappily. The fact that Peter Hastings had liked a boy that his youngest daughter had brought home was the most shocking part of the entire night, Melissa surprise included. "You really impressed him with your architectural knowledge. Even _I_ didn't know you were _that _good."

Toby smiled as he handed her the untouched plate he had set aside earlier, sensing the direction change in the conversation. She welcomed it greedily, her stomach having been reminding her every few minutes about the lateness of the evening and how long it had been since she had fed it. "I've been fortunate that I've known what I wanted to do with my life for a few years now. It gave me the option to further explore it to gain not only experience to benefit me later on in my career, but the chance to see if it really was something I could see myself doing. Now I know. After graduation and some more experience in the field, I'm hoping to start my own business."

Spencer, despite now digging into her overly delicious food, squeezed his arm reassuringly, having decided not to leave his embrace. Frankly she reveled in any time spent so close to him. "Well you mentioned before that guy wants to hire you after graduation, right? And after hearing you tonight, you obviously won't have any trouble getting a job even if that falls through."

"I have most of the tools I need already, which also helps him and others be more willing to hire me, even for short-term construction jobs." he explained.

Spencer swallowed a mouthful of naan bread, looking at him inquisitively. "If that's the case, why don't you take on some jobs now? You mentioned once before your course load isn't too heavy this semester. You could do it on the weekends or something."

He smiled. "I wish. But as I said, I have most of the tools, not all. In order to be hired so flexibly there is no way I could get away with not having a truck. My motorcycle isn't exactly the best for dragging lumber from job site to job site."

Spencer still looked riddled with uncertainty.

"Spence, making lattes isn't exactly like winning the lottery." he teased. "I'll get there. I'm saving. But rent, bills, university tuition… things add up. Christmas is coming in another month. It's just not feasible right now. Maybe in the summer or even when school ends in April."

She nodded, sighing. "I just wish you had a job where you felt more fulfilled; you're much too good for some small coffee shop."

He smiled. "It gives me the extra spending money I need and gives me a bit more of a purpose, I like it fine. I usually work with Ezra too which is always a good time."

That was fair; she saw how fast the two became friends and it was obvious that they had grown very close in the short time they had known each other. "I just want you to be happy, Toby." she told him honestly, hoping she hadn't sounded like she was trying to shove ideas down his throat.

"I've got you in my arms right now, how can I be anything but?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

She smiled in return at that and pulled him into a long, loving kiss.

"Do you think this could be our new tradition? We'll have cultured food every Thanksgiving, just the two of us. Because I know one thing's for sure: I'm thankful for having you in my life. I can't imagine things any other way." Spencer told him happily.

"Sounds perfect to me." he replied in the same manner, feeling a warmth that had nothing to do with the hot food fill his belly.

Spencer dug into her butter chicken again, ripping off a piece of naan bread and dunking it in the sauce. She had never tried Indian food until tonight but even though it was probably the most fattening meal of her natural born life, she wasn't regretting a single second of it.

"I was right, by the way." Toby suddenly piped up, completely out of the blue, as if he was simply continuing a conversation they had been having even though they had been silent for a few minutes now.

Spencer was confused. "About what?"

He smirked. "You _are_ prettier than Melissa." he teased, pulling her into another kiss. The leftover spice on their mouths only made the kiss hotter.

"Melissa is quite pretty." Spencer said amusedly, happy with his deduction and knowing that he really believed her to be beating her sister in that regard. He once said so to make her feel better after her break-up with Wren, but he had never met her so Spencer had argued that it wasn't an accurate observation. Now he actually had evidence to back up his theory.

"She's pretty but you're gorgeous. Don't ever forget that." he told her seriously, wrapping an arm around her as she cuddled closer to his side, pressing her lips to his cheek in thanks.

He always knew exactly what to say. Spencer felt much better about everything.

Tonight had honestly been pretty disastrous but she was overcome with a sense of peace; having Toby beside her tended to have that effect on her system.

"How was your dinner?" her boyfriend asked as she finished up.

She grinned, her mood a complete one-eighty since they had arrived home. "Delicious. I'm still excited about dessert though." she teased.

Toby laughed. "You're so easy to please."

It was true. Although she could be absolutely devastated easier than she'd like to admit, the littlest things could turn her around in an instant. She hadn't learned that about herself until she met Toby, who constantly cheered her up without trying. Frankly it was all about getting a little unconditional love. The only other time in her life she had understood that type was from her three best friends.

On top of that though, Toby had to be the most thoughtful person in the entire world.

Toby brought over the small pint-sized ice cream tub and noticed her fidgeting. "Pajama party?" he suggested, knowing that her fancy attire, while showcasing her beauty wonderfully, was not the most comfortable for lounging.

He seemed to have said the right thing. Spencer lit up and leapt to her feet, linking their arms as he led them to his bedroom to lend her a t-shirt like he had in the past.

Toby released her when they reached his dresser, digging through his drawers for something long enough for her to sleep in. She was pretty tiny so everything of his was big on her, but he wanted to make sure she didn't feel self-conscious with the length too. The male side of his brain was perfectly fine with the hem falling just below her butt however his eyes would never stay in his head that way.

Spencer meanwhile had wandered over to his bed to wait patiently and found his t-shirt from the previous night's pajamas under the pillow. Smiling mischievously, she pulled it out. It smelled like him and even though he was only a few feet away, she felt that burst of aching for being near him again.

Seeing his distractedness, she quickly unzipped the side of her skirt and let it fall to her ankles, pulling the soft blouse over her head and replacing it with his smooth white v-neck. It was shorter than the last one she had borrowed but she was wearing black boy-short panties so it was still tasteful on her.

Toby turned around finally with a few different pieces of material in his hand when his mouth fell open at the sight of his barely clad girlfriend. "Um… that could work too." he managed.

Spencer bit her lip, grinning, trying not to laugh at his expression. She absolutely loved catching Toby off-guard. Seeing the way his eyes roved over her body made the all-too-familiar desire course through her veins. They had agreed to take things slow and although she was happy with that decision, she could not deny her intense attraction to the man before her.

"I figured if I stole your shirt, you'd have no excuse but to go shirtless." she explained nonchalantly, stepping closer slowly, the blood pumping harder as she watched his eyes darken.

Toby had always been very respectful of her. He wasn't like Wren at all; he didn't just cop a feel whenever they were cuddled close or making out.

Although, honestly, she wouldn't mind if he did, as long as she could return the favor…

But because of his past, Spencer was afraid of pushing him, of moving too quickly. The last thing on earth she'd ever want is to scare him or bring back painful memories, hence the unbelievable self-control she had been exhibiting since they started dating.

"You're still wearing a shirt." Spencer noted when she reached him, her eyes darting momentarily down to the gray-blue material.

He corrected his throat and looked down as he began unbuttoning with shaky fingers. He swore sometimes Spencer was like a Siren; he didn't even consciously think about what she said. He just followed orders.

Spencer's soft hands came up to rest against his firm chest, stepping even closer so her body was flush to his. Toby closed his eyes, begging for his body to behave. His hands had already reflexively leapt from their stance on either side of his torso to rest on the small of her back, gripping her t-shirt in his fists. He licked his lips as he met her eyes.

Her irises were focused entirely on his mouth, the hard skin beneath her fingertips burning up. His skin was full of heat but nothing compared to the agonizing desire to push forward to kiss her right then. Toby knew if he made any movements right now that he would lose complete control with her. She was too intoxicating.

Her smoldering brown eyes met with his blue and he could feel the magnetism between them leading their motions.

"Toby…" she murmured, her fingers reaching behind his head, teasing the back of his hair as she waited patiently for him to make the first move. She knew that if they were going to do what her body was begging her to, it would lead to a lot more than a heated kiss. She didn't want either of them to regret anything but her mind was pretty hazy right then with him standing so close and looking like eleven tenths of a Greek god.

He closed his eyes again, releasing a surrendering exhale from his mouth as the space between them shrunk.

"Toby! I'm home!" an unwelcoming voice called through the apartment.

Although Toby was on better terms with his step-sister nowadays, he was _not_ appreciating her interrupting _this_ moment between him and his girlfriend. Her timing was always impeccable.

Sighing dejectedly and releasing Spencer, Toby strolled over to his bed to steal his pajama pants, quickly dressing. Spencer had respectively turned to face the door while he changed and tried to hide her own disappointment at their interrupted moment. Although they had the door closed and were away from Jenna, it was obvious that the mood had been killed.

Spencer frowned when she realized how uncovered she was. She was about to open her mouth to say something, but Toby beat her to it.

"You look like you're wearing spandex shorts, she won't even notice." he reassured her, kissing the side of her head as he wrapped an arm around her. "I will never forgive you if you cover up those legs of yours."

She blushed, forgetting all about her previous concerns. Toby, although always immeasurably sweet, wasn't usually so forward. He was more likely to compliment her beauty as a whole rather than express his appreciation of certain features.

She made a mental note to show them off more in the future.

Spencer was surprised to see him go back to his dresser to search for a t-shirt before they left the room. Although she had been half-kidding earlier, knowing he could very easily find another t-shirt, he regularly slept shirtless when she was over.

But before she could inquire about it, he had led her by the hand out to greet Jenna properly.

"Hey… oh, hi Spencer." Jenna added, seeming surprised to see her there.

Spencer felt self-conscious as Jenna obviously took in her outfit.

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything." she said awkwardly.

Toby simply corrected his throat. "It's fine. Don't worry about it." he said easily.

"We just decided to get more comfortable before engaging in more junk food eating." the taller brunette explained, nodding towards the ice cream on the coffee table. She was avoiding Toby's eyes, wondering why he hadn't denied that there had been nothing going on. If she had been a few more minutes maybe…

Oblivious to Spencer's confused thoughts, Toby sat down on the couch with his girlfriend while Jenna finished putting away her boots and jacket.

"So how was the parents' place?" Toby asked his step-sister conversationally.

She leaned against the arm of the chair adjacent to them. "It was good; really good to see them and catch up. They missed you." she added.

He forced a smile and nodded, choosing not to comment on that.

Jenna continued, sensing that Toby wasn't going to further question it. "Anyways nothing too special. Just the usual turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie."

There was an air of awkwardness in the room and Spencer decided her presence was only making the problem worse.

"I've um just gotta call Hanna. I told her I'd call her when I was back in Philly. Excuse me." Spencer fibbed, getting to her feet and heading into Toby's room, shutting the door mostly behind her.

Toby sighed, knowing full well Spencer had completely made that up. Jenna seemed to understand too since she took the opportunity to confront him about it.

"I'm surprised to see you home so early." Jenna said pointedly.

Toby subtly rolled his eyes. His impatience for his step-sister was a little out of line at this point but he had a rough night, whether he wanted Spencer to know or not. He knew she was dealing with a lot so it wasn't fair of him to seek comfort in her when she was in need of it herself. But he was very, very tired and not looking to play games.

"If you have a question, ask it." Toby told her stiffly. He wasn't snippy about it, but he would be there soon enough if she kept beating around the bush.

Jenna looked surprised, but accepted his request. "What happened at Spencer's?"

Toby glanced at his bedroom door and from his angle it looked like it was shut. He had no idea Spencer was secretly eavesdropping. She felt guilty about it but couldn't help her undeniable curiosity.

"It… didn't really happen. After her sister arrived, I ended up getting into it with her dad."

"That's not like you." Jenna commented, coming to sit next to him.

Toby looked down in shame. "Yeah, I know." he said quietly.

Spencer peeked through the crack in the door to see Jenna shuffle closer and put her hand on his arm comfortingly.

He continued. "I made a total ass of myself defending Spencer to her family. They're just so… I don't even know. They can't see how incredible she is and I hate seeing what it's done to her. She's not happy with herself and it's not because she has things she needs to improve on, but because of them. And I hate that." he explained softly.

Jenna subtly released her hand and put a little space between them. "We all have insecurities, Toby. But Spencer's lucky to have you." she added.

Toby forced a smile. "Thanks."

"What else is bothering you?" his step-sister pressed.

He sighed. As much as Jenna had been a burden on him for a very long time, she also knew him quite well. Because of her abuse, she could tell easily when he was upset; it was what she was used to seeing during that dark time.

"If Dad wanted me there, he would've called me, not sent a message through you." Toby said, feeling childish in his rebellion but unable to change how he felt. After his mom died, everything had changed, especially his father. He just stopped showing affection pretty much all together, until he met Jenna's mom. But Toby had never reconnected with his father and felt like an outsider in his own house.

"I know things have been hard between you two. But he really did miss you. I think since you left to go to school he's sort of realized what he's done, pushing you away all these years."

Toby nodded, but didn't know what else to say.

"Toby, your dad loves you. You know that. But he's been struggling for a long time. He lost the love of his life. And then, without intending to, he lost you too. I think it kills him as much as it killed you." Jenna told him patiently.

He ran a hand through his hair in stress. "I'll be home for Christmas." he mumbled.

She placed a hand on his knee. "You have every right to be mad at him, Toby, but I wouldn't give up on him yet. He needs you more than he's ready to admit."

"Thanks, Jenna." Toby murmured.

She nodded, smiling tenderly at him, sensing she had done what he needed and that the conversation had been concluded nicely. "I'm going to crash. Night Toby." she said, leaning up to plant a sisterly kiss on his cheek.

Without intending to, Toby jerked away from her, his eyes full of alarm.

They met each others' eyes, both looking scared of the other.

"Sorry." Jenna whispered tearfully and rushed to her room.

Toby groaned under his breath and put his head in his hands. He was grateful that he could talk to Jenna like that and things were good. But he couldn't forget the past and he knew things would never be like they were before the abuse started.

"Toby…?" Spencer called out tentatively from his door.

He raised his head to look at her and upon seeing his distraught expression, immediately came over and wrapped her arms around him.

"Ice cream?" Toby asked tiredly, but she felt him tighten his grip on her, needing her physical comfort more than he even realized.

Spencer wished she knew what to do. She had no experience with this sort of situation. Should she pretend she missed the whole encounter and wait until he brought it up? Should she ask him about it so she knew that if he wanted to talk, she was here for him? What would she even say?

She figured now that earlier Toby had threw on a shirt because, whether consciously or not, he would never expose himself that way to Jenna again. Maybe his diplomatic answer to what Jenna had interrupted was because a small part of him wanted her to think that he had moved on and that she wouldn't be the one to touch him that way again. The thought broke Spencer's heart.

"Want to take it to your room? We could talk, if you want…?" she suggested, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.

He smiled a little and picked up their melting container, wrapping an arm around her waist as they headed into his room and closed the door.

Spencer took it as a good sign that he kept his arm around her once they were situated sitting against the headboard.

"Are you okay?" Spencer asked after Toby didn't say a word. He just had begun digging into the creamy substance, seemingly planning to remain quiet.

He sighed. "I wish I knew." he said softly.

Spencer felt her breaking heart shatter in pain at seeing him so lost and upset. She knew he was trying to mask it for her sake but she wished he wouldn't. Typical male syndrome; plus Toby was so selfless he probably felt like a burden even though she had cried all over him half a dozen times since they met.

"Talk to me. Please." Spencer whispered, interlocking their fingers and squeezing his hand.

He finally met her eyes. "Things with Jenna are still… they're better. It's been nice being able to talk to her like a normal person again. But honestly, it takes so much effort to keep it up day after day. I've been thinking the past couple weeks… I want to get my own place." he admitted.

Spencer was surprised. He hadn't mentioned that before. She knew his parents paid for this apartment for the step-siblings… and she doubted that would continue if they separated.

"But isn't your rent…"

Toby nodded, knowing what she was going to say. "I've been saving. I know I mentioned wanting a truck but after tonight, I think the sooner I get out of here the better. I thought I could stick it out until the lease is up but I…" he stopped, exhaling, and Spencer could see how much he was really struggling.

Her eyes filled with tears but she pushed them back, keeping her voice as steady as she could. "Well, like I said, I just want you to be happy. Some leases start December first. We could look into apartment listings tomorrow and book some appointments to see some places?"

The dazzling smile he aimed her way stopped her heart and she broke into a genuine smile, knowing she had said the perfect thing.

He pulled her into a loving kiss. "You're amazing, you know that?" he told her affectionately. "I've been sort of thinking about it off and on for a while. If I pick up more hours, I should be set even with Christmas coming up. I wish I could afford both the truck and a new place, but bachelors are barely much cheaper than two bedrooms…"

Spencer snuggled into him. "We'll work it out. It would be nice to be able to have you all to myself whenever I wanted…" she teased, thinking of all the perks of having no nosey roommates coming home. Hanna too had interrupted a few of their sweet moments.

"You sure you don't mind tagging along to boring apartment viewings with me? I'd love if you'd come. I want you to feel at home there too." Toby confessed, smiling now, and she could tell his mood had flipped completely.

She felt a small glow of pride knowing that she had helped in that, feeling like maybe she wasn't such a bad girlfriend after all. Well, she knew she wasn't _bad_; but she felt like she always failed in comparison to how wonderful he was to her.

Spencer smirked. "Are you kidding? You're going to need me there. I'll bring a checklist and we'll make sure you get the best place in the city and at a decent price. It's the perfect opportunity for me to test my lawyer skills." she added cheekily.

Toby laughed, holding her closer without thinking about it. "I don't think they need any testing. You're already the most persuasive person I know. You talked Ezra into paying for your coffee the other day and he didn't even realize until an hour later."

She grinned, remembering her visit to his work. It had been a couple days since she had seen him so she stopped by the coffee shop on the way home from school since she knew Toby was working. Spencer had managed to convince Ezra to let Toby take an extra break and pay for their coffees. Toby's would've been on the house anyways, but Spencer had slipped hers in there too. She had paid him back; it wasn't about the cost but more about the challenge for her, so she just had a good laugh out of it with Toby.

"Ezra's as innocent as a baby squirrel. He was an easy target."

Toby rolled his eyes. "So my scheming girlfriend…" he teased, scraping at the bottom of their ice cream container to get the last remains. "Any thoughts on what you want for Christmas?"

Spencer smiled. "None whatsoever. A normal family, maybe. And you." she added happily.

"Well, I can't do much for the first one I'm afraid. I'm pretty sure we're stuck with what we get." he said fake-apologetically. "But the second one, well, I'd say I've got that one on lock."

Spencer's smile widened as he moved the now-empty container to his nightstand and pulled her so she was laying on top of him, immediately pressing his lips gently to hers.

While she happily got swept away in emotions and happy bliss, the daughter ring on her right hand was digging into her finger a little more than usual. It had been a gift from her parents for her sixteenth birthday. It had been a bit of a squeeze, not quite the right size, and ended up being the wrong birthstone. Well, jewelry places always had multiple offered for each month, depending on the manufacturers' guide. But the birthstone she felt was truly hers was not the one she had received. She had kept it and played along with liking it, happy her parents had even remembered her birth _month_ let alone continued the tradition of giving their daughter such a ring on her sixteenth birthday. But Spencer felt her attachment to her parents and their ways declining, especially after the chaos of tonight and all that Toby had reminded them, and her, of. In fact, she could think of a much better use for it…

Spencer smiled into his mouth, a clever plan forming in her head.

This was going to be the best Christmas yet.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello beautiful readers, here is the next installment! Sorry for the delay, been a pretty exhausting week, but hoping to get more writing in this weekend and update asap :) We're getting closer to Christmas in this story and I've got big Spoby-love-level plans for what I want to happen, so I'm excited for you guys to read on!

Some of you have guessed what I hinted at last chapter, but for all those who haven't caught on, don't worry, it won't be much longer before you find out for sure ;)

As I mentioned before, I'm on twitter, phoenix9648 ! follow me, talk Spoby/PLL/basically anything and I'm game :)

Exciting news - me and another amazing writer on here, .moonbeams. (trust me... you've read her work and probably passed out from its perfection...), are collaborating on a Spoby one-shot series and will be working together to deliver the best of the best (or at least that's what we're hoping) So keep an eye out! We'll let you know when we're truly up and running. But we are in different time zones, countries, and on different schedules, so it'll take extra effort but we feel it will definitely be worth the hard work :)

Since you all were pretty disappointed with Jenna interrupting Spoby last chapter, this little tidbit is for you ;) But I doooo have reasons for everything, such as them lacking a true passionate moment yet, so keep that in mind. It'll matter in a few chapters :) Zack is also introduced in this chapter. You know him as Aria's mom Ella's boyfriend on the show, but he's also The Rearwindow Brew's owner both in PLL and in here :)

ANYWAYS on with the story! Enjoy!

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

Spencer awoke in bed, sheets tangled around her legs but no Toby to be seen. The spot next to her was lukewarm, signaling he had left a while ago. She was content to at least have evidence that he had actually been there. It wouldn't be the first time Spencer dreamed of lying in his arms all night.

Spencer, yawning and stretching her long arms over her head, padded out into the rest of the apartment to find her boyfriend. _Boyfriend_. She very much liked referring to Toby as such.

And there he was, with his overly perfect posture, wiping down the kitchen counters as the dishwasher rattled away. He must have just finished loading them up and was doing his usual weekend-wipe-down. She adored the fact that Toby took cleaning seriously. He might not be as OCD about it as she was, but he definitely valued it highly on his list, which was good enough for her. She hated when guys followed the stereotype that cleaning and cooking was for the women and the heavy lifting and bringing home the bacon was for the men. Toby, although old-fashioned in some ways, was a very refreshing change from the men Spencer had previously dated and she couldn't be happier with that fact.

Spencer couldn't help gawking at him a little, since he had yet to notice her standing a few feet away. His shoulders were curved flawlessly leading down to his subtly buff arms, his t-shirt only giving the sneakiest of hints of what truly lay beneath the plain material. It still stunned her that the blue-eyed man was someone to call hers.

Add to that the loving smile he sent her way when he finally noticed her presence and she could swear to the highest court that it all must be a dream.

But if it really was, _well_, she was going to take full advantage…

The sleepy brunette didn't wait for any kind of verbal invitation but simply nestled herself into Toby in a hug, burrowing her face in his neck as she clung around his waist for support. She let out a sigh of relief when he mirrored her action and looped his arms around her delicate waist.

"Morning, sleepyhead. You know your hair is like a rats nest right?" he teased.

Spencer pulled back to send him the look of death before laying her head back into the wonderful crook in his neck that seemed to be molded just for her. His chest vibrated against her as he chuckled.

"You know better than to insult me before I've had coffee." she grumbled. Although her voice was annoyed, she was palming his lower back lovingly, betraying any sort of force she had intended to exude.

"Which is why, my caffeine princess, I made it extra strong this morning. I figured you'd rise soon enough." Toby explained, pivoting their intertwined bodies so he could drag the mug over.

Spencer pulled back and outstretched her hands towards the counter like a greedy child, eyes alight as the aroma wafted up her nose. There was nothing better than black Colombian Roast, triple strength.

Toby shook his head disbelievingly at her but knew if he tried to teach her about manners right then, he'd end up with coffee-scalded skin and a very pissed off girlfriend. If there was one thing he had learned over their time getting to know each other is that Spencer's love for coffee was beyond rational. He sort of loved that about her though; seeing her blissfully, eyes-rolling-back-into-her-head-at-the-first-sip look made it all worthwhile.

Her eyes remained closed as she continued to indulge in deeper gulps now that she had tested the temperature. "I don't know why I was trying to convince you otherwise last night… making coffee is obviously your calling." she murmured, a hint of a smile on the corners of her lips. He knew the majority of her was teasing, but there was a part of her that would happily accept every coffee she threw at him. He knew just how she liked it but if it would gain him brownie points he wasn't about to complain.

Spencer still hadn't released him, preferring to drink coffee _and _cuddle upright with her boyfriend.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she finally asked, the sleepy hum returning as the bliss of caffeine flooding her veins put her at ease despite the opposite biological effect.

Toby smiled down at her as he petted her hair, not caring that she had interrupted his cleaning in the slightest. He'd much rather spend his time holding her this way. "I didn't have the heart to, you looked so peaceful." he admitted.

After the night they had, Toby was happy she had managed to even fall asleep. After their kissing faded into pillow talk and then dozing, Toby had not been oblivious to Spencer's fidgeting. Her mind had obviously been full; of what, he wasn't sure. But he hoped that when she was ready to talk, she'd come to him. Maybe it wasn't even a bad thing.

"Do you want to go back to bed?" Toby asked her amusedly as she leaned her entire weight into him.

She shook her head, her waves swishing along her upper back. Toby had managed to tame her wild mane enough to make her much more presentable.

"In that case, I was about to look at the newspaper to check out apartment listings if you want to help?" he suggested.

Spencer's eyes snapped open and she looked even more excited than she had moments before when she found out there was espresso nearby. "Of course I do!" she exclaimed.

Although seeking out apartments wasn't the most fun she'd ever have, Spencer knew how much Toby wanted to get out of his current place. And as much as Jenna had come around since the fiascos of before, Spencer had to admit that things were still weird. The atmosphere between the siblings made it obvious that you can't go back to being friends, or in their case _siblings_, when you never were in the first place. There was no place to go back _to_.

Toby led her to the chair where she happily lay across his lap, leaning her head on his shoulder as she sipped at her coffee and he pulled out a pencil to circle potentials.

"Are you sure you want a bachelor? I think a one-bedroom is more suited to your style." Spencer commented as he read through the listings.

"Spence, I want to be able to live _and _eat." he explained amusedly. "Until I get a better job, it's just the way it'll have to be. Hopefully I can get even a short six month lease or something."

Spencer sighed, wishing she could offer him cash from her trust fund but knowing he'd never accept it even though she had more than enough to go around. She both loved and hated that about him.

"I guess it doesn't really matter, as long as you're happy." Spencer decided, snuggling closer, subtly inhaling the Toby-smell of the skin where his neck met his shoulder.

"All I can think about is the pure independence and all of our uninterrupted moments." Toby replied warmly, circling a couple of ads on the list of classifieds.

Spencer smirked and began placing soft kisses on his neck, effectively distracting him although he pretended to focus on what he was doing. "What kind of uninterrupted moments…?" Spencer asked innocently, nibbling on his earlobe.

Toby's breathing had deepened tremendously but he fought to control himself. He knew Spencer was playing him, and although she was succeeding, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction so early on in her game.

"Um… you know… just um…" Forming words let alone sentences was becoming increasingly difficult as she twisted in the seat so she was straddling his lap, brushing her lips ever so softly against the tender skin on the underside of his jaw.

His neurons were on fire with her barest of touches and one hand leapt to tangle in her long hair and anchor her in place.

"Spencer…" he whispered breathily, trying to stay a gentleman but wanting nothing more than to pull her closer and let his hands roam underneath the t-shirt she was wearing. _His_ t-shirt.

"Yes, Toby?" Spencer replied in the same tone as before, grinning a little now. She could tell by his body language that he was slowly surrendering to her. The newspaper lay slightly crumpled between them.

Sensing a win was in the cards any moment now, Spencer went in for the kill. She nibbled gently on his pulse point before sucking on the delicate skin. She felt his moan before she heard it.

Done with her teasing, Toby guided her mouth to his and managed to kiss her rather mildly considering the desire coursing through his veins. He suddenly remembered very vividly what Jenna had interrupted the night before and he was going to take advantage of their current private moment.

Spencer was all too happy for him to give in, kissing him longingly while her hands slid slowly down his chest to rest above his waistband. Her fingers played with the drawstrings of his pajama pants before sliding under his shirt to trail her nails over the plains of his strong core.

The grazing of Spencer's nails over his muscles caused him to moan into her mouth again, his hands abandoning their rather stationary posts and returning the favor by sliding up her back underneath her shirt. Their lips were rather frantic against the others' now, wanting more but afraid to push. This was easily their hottest make-out session to date and it still wasn't as passionate as either would like it to be.

"Toby- oh, wow, sorry." Jenna's awkward voice came and the pair broke apart guiltily, feeling like teenagers caught in the family basement. "Um, just wanted to let you know I'll be gone for the day. So um… have fun." She disappeared out of the door quickly.

Toby leaned his forehead against Spencer's shoulder as they caught their breath. She squirmed slightly to get more comfortable but his hands stopped her.

"Just don't move for a minute, please." he murmured.

Spencer tried to hide her smile. It gave her a little thrill of pride that Toby was that excited over their make-out session, or at least was getting there.

Finally after a moment he sighed and pulled back, looking a little embarrassed.

Spencer kissed him quickly on the mouth. "Yeah, I'm _really_ looking forward to you having your own place." she agreed, continuing their conversation from earlier like there had been no interruption at all.

Toby laughed in agreement, situating her more comfortably so they could look at the listings together.

* * *

They had surprisingly managed to book some appointments within the week. Spencer made sure the landlords who were showing them the apartments knew that they wouldn't be deciding anything that day. She could tell by the look on Toby's face that he wasn't overly keen on any of them. There were a lot of factors to consider in moving into a living space and he was finding issues with each one.

He didn't know why he was being so picky all of a sudden; but this was a big step by any means and he really wanted to feel good about it. There was nothing wrong with any of the spots they checked out, but there was nothing they had seen yet that made him see himself living there. None of them _fit_. And frankly, the whole bachelor apartment thing wasn't doing it for him. Spencer was right; he wanted a one-bedroom if anything. But all of the prices were far out of his range and the last thing he would want after gaining independence from his family was to have to come crawling back. He wouldn't, which meant he would have to burden someone else.

Toby collapsed into the stool lined along the coffee shop counter next to his girlfriend.

Spencer rubbed his forearm reassuringly. "This was only our first day, Toby. We'll find something. Or we'll figure something else out. Don't stress."

He nodded, but didn't verbally reply. He was feeling pretty defeated. The prices were a lot higher than he expected in the few he had been leaning more towards… but he should've known better since they were in such an ideal location. The cheapest one was also the furthest from school and Spencer, and was so small he wasn't sure he could even fit a table and chairs with a couch bed let alone his current double.

Ezra came down to their end since he was done with his customers.

"What's going on?" he asked, noticing Toby's forlorn expression.

Spencer interlaced her fingers with her boyfriend's, sending a small smile in Ezra's direction. "We spent the day apartment hunting. Just didn't have as much luck as we were hoping."

Ezra looked surprised. "You guys are moving in together?"

"OH, um, no, I was just helping." Spencer said sheepishly. "I could never abandon Hanna. She's almost always two months behind on her cell phone bill because she forgets about it. If she was alone to make grocery budgets and paying rent each month…"

She squeezed Toby's hand, trailing off, hoping he'd rescue her from her pathetic rambling.

Toby shook himself out of his slump. "I'll find a place. I just need to get out of my current situation as soon as possible."

"Is Jenna bothering you again?" Ezra asked rather forcefully, seeming terribly concerned.

"No… not exactly." Toby said slowly, not sure exactly how to word it. "I just… I don't want to live with her anymore. This whole university thing was supposed to be a fresh start for me and I had to pack up my baggage and share a bathroom with it… it's just time. I can't keep playing nice with her."

Ezra nodded in understanding. After learning the truth about Jenna, Ezra admired Toby's strength. If he had ever been misfortunate enough to have an abuser, he would never have been able to face living alone with them, especially with the type of abuse Toby endured.

"I'd check into apartments at my building, but you've seen my place. It's the size of a broom cupboard. And J.K. Rowling explains it right… cupboards are not a satisfactory living space." Ezra joked.

Toby rolled his eyes, appreciating the lightening of the mood. Ezra had a decent sized bachelor, at least compared to the holes in a wall Toby had seen that day. But when it came to having company, it was rather limited. "I'm hoping for a one-bedroom but my budget is pretty tight and I don't want to be eating out of tin cans for months. Even if I could find a place to fix up…"

"Fix-up how?" Zack, the coffee shop owner and a really laidback guy, asked with interest, overhearing their conversation as he passed.

Toby mulled it over. "Honestly, I'd build it myself if I had the supplies and foundation."

Zack smiled mischievously, an idea obviously hitting him.

Spencer sat up straighter on her stool, immediately catching on to his expression.

Zack continued, noticing the increased interest, smiling. "Can I show you something?"

Toby was off his seat instantly, pulling Spencer with him. Ezra hung his smock on the wall as Nigel waved him to go too.

The three followed Zack up the stairs hiding behind the coffee shop's open area. "This used to be a storage area but it cost too much to rent this for the sake of a couple boxes and old broken furniture. We had more than enough room in the cellar downstairs and trashed the rest. I've been talking to the landlord and they want to rent it out… the only problem is, it's not very homey…"

He opened the door to a rather dusty open space. "It originally was meant to be an upstairs apartment, so the plumbing is all set up to be installed and-"

"It's a one-bedroom." Toby practically breathed.

The walls weren't even primed yet, but he didn't care. This place tugged a spot in his stomach. It was a fresh start, a place that he could make his own, _really_ his own. He already was starting to visualize his stuff in there, what would go where and what he'd need to invest in.

"Like I said, it's definitely a fixer-upper, to put it lightly. But if you're willing to do the work, I'm sure we can make a deal. The asking price isn't too much either."

Spencer blinked a couple times to push back the tears in her eyes. She could tell by Toby's face; this was what he needed, in so many ways. It was fate.

"And hey, getting to work will be a cinch." Ezra teased Toby with a wink.

"And school's even closer too." Spencer reminded him.

"Which will save me gas money." Toby concluded with a nod. He looked to his two best friends who were grinning now, knowing that he had just lucked out. He laughed in pure relief and excitement. "So when can we make this deal?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Zack clapped him happily on the shoulder. "I'll give her a call right now."

Toby high-fived Ezra and pulled Spencer into an excited hug, gazing around at his soon-to-be new apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

You guys are fantastic and I love you. That's really all there is to say.

As promised, I will be intertwining some of the other couple's conflicts, at least a littleeee bit, into this Spoby story to keep it interesting and to show how Spoby deals with it. We're getting closer to Spoby Christmas, aka the BEST kind ;) Lil tiny bit of angsty Spoby this chapter followed by super-duper-fluffy Spoby. Because that's the best kind. And for Katie, I made this chapter extra extra long ;) heart you girlie :)

Once again, I'm on twitter, phoenix9648! Come chat Spoby/PLL :) Also, check out my other account if you'd like, prettylittledreamers where I am cowriting with my beautiful soul sister Ana, aka starlightandmoonbeams, who you all know on here I'm sureeeee. She's far more amazing than I can ever hope to be. We're currently collaborating on a series of Spoby one-shots/missing moments from the show, so it'll definitely be a wild but beautiful ride.

I am attempting to write shorter A/Ns so TA-DA! Bet you didn't think I had it in me ;) BTW Spencer's outfit in the beginning is featured in 1x20 :)

Without further ado, and more promises I hope to keep about updating soon, here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.  
**

* * *

Spencer tugged irritably at the button on her v-neck t-shirt, pulling the collar open and trying to make herself look more alluring. Scowling at her reflection, she gave up and pulled the shirt off of her arms. She threw it in the reject pile and turned to frown at her bed which was covered in various articles of clothing, finally slipping on a different ensemble and checking her outfit out in the full length mirror.

"Spence?" Hanna's tentative voice came from behind the closed bedroom door, knocking lightly.

Spencer adjusted the skirt on her waist. "Come in!"

Hanna entered and surveyed the scene with scrutiny. It seemed rather opposite of the norm; usually Hanna was the one freaking over what to wear while Spencer was the one interrupting the process.

"What's all this?" Hanna asked, poking at the pile of different shirts and bottoms, pushing a small space for her to sit on the edge of the bed.

Spencer sighed as she started hanging up the reject choices. "Toby's been so busy fixing up the loft this past week we've barely spent any time together. We're sort of having a little date night."

Hanna smiled. "You look cute."

"Thanks." her roommate replied warmly, chancing another look in the mirror at her higher-waisted-but-still-short multi-colored skirt and navy feminine short-sleeved shirt. Her hands ran up to gather her hair, testing out different styles before releasing with a groan.

"Do you want me to do your hair?" Hanna offered tenderly.

Spencer shot her a hopeful grin. Hanna immediately dragged her by the hand to their shared bathroom so she could tend to her properly.

As Hanna started brushing her hair, the brunette's radar went off, knowing she was hiding something. "Han, what's up?"

Hanna continued to stroke gently through Spencer's hair, getting out all of the tiny kinks so she could begin to work her magic. "It's…" She suddenly forced a smile and cleared her face of all conflicted emotions. "Nothing. So what are you and Toby doing tonight?"

Spencer batted her hands away from her head. "Hanna…" She sat her blonde friend down on the edge of the tub, turning from her spot on the vanity stool. "Spill."

Hanna picked at her fingernails, completely avoiding Spencer's eyes. "Have you and Toby… done it yet?"

Spencer, while surprised at the question, was more intrigued by the tone of her voice. She sounded sad and hollow and… scared. Normally if Hanna was asking something of the sort, which she adored doing since Spencer was so private and any talk of that kind made her blush even now, she always asked it playfully and with an air of mischief. But now she sounded insecure and nervous and Spencer felt her worry increase tenfold.

"No. We agreed to take things slow." she told her friend honestly.

Hanna looked up. "Really? I just thought… I mean you guys are so close and have been friends for a while and you're obviously crazy in love…"

Spencer shook her head, resisting the urge to sigh melodramatically. "Honestly Han, we haven't even got a little carried away yet. Not for lack of trying on my part…" she admitted, remembering with annoyance Jenna's interruption the other morning and the night before that. But even with the intrusion, Spencer had felt the beginnings of Toby backing down moments before his step-sister ice-bucketed them.

"Do you think Toby just doesn't want it…?" Hanna asked, her curiosity outweighing her filter, and she hadn't realized what she said until she saw Spencer's hurt expression. "Oh, Spence, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that-"

But Spencer felt alarm and panic fill her. Maybe Hanna had a point. All this time she figured Toby had wanted to take things slow so they both could be comfortable when that time came but maybe the reason why he was delaying it was because it wasn't high on his priority list. Was he not as attracted to her as she thought? "No, maybe you're right. I mean, he's always the one who slows us down…"

"No, Spencer, I have no idea what I'm talking about, okay? Toby LOVES you and he can't even keep his eyes in his head when you're around. He looks at you like you're his reason for living."

Spencer felt her near-hyperventilating breaths cease and turned towards her friend again, grasping her small hands in her long ones. She could worry about that later. "Tell me what's going on, Han. Why are you asking me about me and Toby? Is something happening with Caleb?"

Hanna looked down and her blonde curls hid her face. "Something did happen. We… had sex the other night."

Spencer's eyes tripled in size and she sat there gaping like a goldfish for a solid thirty seconds before she could muster a response. "You… what?!"

She felt a sudden pang for her friend. Hanna was a virgin; _was _being the operative word now, but still.

Hanna's last boyfriend, Sean, had been the Reverend's son and believed in celibacy. He was a nice guy, but Hanna had been raised outside of church and had a habit of saying what she felt regardless of the situation. Sean was much more reserved and with such a high belief in everything relating to a higher power, they just weren't a good match. Frankly Spencer was glad they were over. Truth be told Sean was boring compared to Caleb. Caleb was a much better match for Hanna because he had the same kind of humor and was a really social guy. With such a close-knit group of best friends, they all wanted the kind of significant other that they could bring to their hangouts, and both Toby and Caleb had gone over swimmingly. But she could tell that Caleb had brought out the feisty confident side of Hanna and for that she was grateful.

A part of Spencer was surprised that Hanna had given up something so important to a guy she had only been dating a couple months really, but the other part of her knew that Hanna, although beautiful and unique, was still insecure from her heavier days and wanted to prove to somebody, maybe herself mostly, that she was _wanted_. She and Caleb's relationship had been moving very quickly, but Spencer rationalized that they weren't just in it for the physical side of things and that's what mattered. Or at least, that's what Spencer thought based on how they were together.

But Spencer also knew that Hanna loved with her whole heart and fell rather fast and that Caleb sort of had a track record. Toby hadn't said so in so many words, but it was implied that Caleb had gotten around so to speak. Spencer would hate for Hanna to be just another one of his girls.

But she had spent enough time with them to know that Caleb thought Hanna was something special. Even Toby had admitted that he hadn't seen Caleb so happy in all of his time of knowing him.

"He just… we had this really deep conversation about our pasts and I just felt so close to him and he asked me if I was sure and I said yes…" Hanna trailed off, looking at the floor again sadly. "But now he's all weird and distant and I feel like he, you know, got what he came for. That maybe he's just been playing me all of this time."

Spencer squeezed her hands, not sure what to say. She could see how much Hanna was really struggling with this and wondered why she hadn't said something earlier.

"Have you tried talking to him?"

Hanna chewed her bottom lip. "I… I've sort of been avoiding him."

Spencer's heart broke at seeing a tear escape the corner of the blonde's eye, but she quickly wiped it away. Others followed suit and Spencer immediately shifted to sitting next to her, pulling her into a hug.

"What if he wants to break up because I was just_ bad_ at it? I mean, I thought it was good but maybe I'm just stupid…" Hanna whimpered into her shoulder, squeezing her tightly.

Spencer fought the urge to smile at the ridiculous thought, but held back with ease since her friend was truly hurting. It was pure insecure-Hanna talking and she felt a sudden douse of hate for Caleb having that power over her friend to bring her to this low point. She knew it wasn't completely his fault, but she wished he understood how fragile she was and not to pull away.

Spencer slipped out her phone.

"What are you doing?" Hanna asked in alarm, as if Spencer was going to call Caleb right then and order him to come over.

Spencer smiled, because the thought had occurred to her. But she knew Hanna wasn't ready for that yet.

"Cancelling on Toby. We'll reschedule." she explained breezily, but even as she said it she felt a huge weight tug on her heart. She really had been looking forward to seeing him and she knew he had been too. He had been texting her all day saying how much he couldn't wait to see her outside of the classes they shared.

"No, Spencer-"

"Already done. Now come on. We need ice cream, Cosmos and you need to start from the beginning so we can figure this out." Spencer said seriously.

Although Hanna wanted to protest, she knew she needed her best friend right now, which is why she let her drag her out of the bathroom to get started on the fixing process.

* * *

Spencer stepped out of her room and into the hall after Hanna had fallen asleep on her bed. She quickly dialed her boyfriend's number.

"Hey." Toby's voice greeted her warmly and she felt her heart melt. God did she miss him.

"Hey." she replied softly, a lilt in her voice that she unconsciously only reserved for him. "I'm sorry about cancelling our plans tonight."

"Don't be sorry, Hanna needed you. How is she?" Toby asked. He hadn't pressed for details on what was wrong when he got her text earlier, just accepted it, but he was concerned too. He considered Hanna a friend now and cared about her well-being. She had come to his aid when he needed it and he would be damned before he denied her the same favor.

"She's… better. I at least turned her mood around, which is something." Spencer said, leaning against the wall as she realized just how worn out she really was.

She held Hanna as she cried, attempting to channel Toby as she tried to pull out the right sequence of phrases and words that would ease her pain. She managed to take her mind off of things and at one point got her to snort Sprite out of her nose she was laughing so hard, so Spencer felt like she had done her best friend duties. But still, she knew Hanna was hurting.

"She needs to talk to Caleb though."

Toby grimaced. He assumed if Hanna was that upset it must have been over Caleb. He too had seen how fast the couple had fallen for each other.

"Toby… I hate to ask, but you're his friend. Is there any way you could talk to him? Convince him to quit avoiding Hanna and talk to her? She's freaking out." Spencer explained sadly, finally understanding the awkwardness of having her best friend date one of her boyfriend's best friends. It meant if there was a war, they would automatically be on opposing sides.

Toby sighed. "I can try, Spencer, but I can't promise anything. Caleb's always been a private person especially about relationships in his life."

"I thought you said he's been with a lot of girls…"

"No, not exactly. I mean, he flirts with plenty, but Caleb…" Toby hesitated. He didn't want to betray Caleb's trust but he thought if Spencer knew more she might be more understanding and less likely to go after him with torches and pitchforks. "… he hasn't had a lot of important relationships in his life. He doesn't get close to people easily. He plays it cool and puts on a brave face but the truth is he's had a tough life. He just doesn't like to show it."

Spencer sighed, sinking to sit on the floor. "What are we going to do then?"

"Spencer, I know you feel like it's your job to fix this but they're adults now. They can work things out for themselves." Toby reminded her gently.

"Toby, I spent half the night cradling Hanna while she sobbed. I can't just sit by and do nothing!" she snapped, not meaning to flare up at him but very protective of her friend. She realized when he was silent on the other end that she had crossed a line. "Look, I'm sorry for snapping. I know you're right but…"

"I know, Spence. You're worried about her. It's okay. We'll figure something out." he promised.

She let her head hit the wall behind her. "I miss you. I wish you were here." she whispered, missing the warmth of both the physical and emotional kind when his arms were around her. Somehow, when Toby was near, all her troubles just didn't seem as significant anymore.

"I miss you too." he replied just as quietly and she could hear the longing in his voice for the very same thing she was thinking about.

Silence fell between them as a similar aching took over their hearts.

"How's the loft?" Spencer asked, eager to change the subject.

Toby could hear the exhaustion in her voice and knew she didn't want to fight over Hanna and Caleb anymore. She was still just reeling from her long night. But he welcomed the topic change too. The last thing he wanted was for them to get into an argument, especially at night and when they were apart. "The loft is… starting to look like a loft. I sanded down and repainted the cabinets today so as soon as I pick up a few more tools I'll be able to get working on putting the bathroom together."

Spencer smiled, hearing the subtle excitement in his voice. Toby refused to have her over until it was a masterpiece, but she didn't mind. She usually argued with him over it just so he could convince her with his lips to back down, which always worked wonders.

"That's awesome." she said, trying to hide her yawn from him.

But Toby was Toby. "All right, you're tired. We'll talk tomorrow. Goodnight Spencer." he said gently.

"Goodnight Toby." she murmured back before hanging up.

Spencer leaned her head back once again, closing her eyes as she exhaled. It was crazy how much she craved his presence. If it wasn't for Hanna, she'd have already left the apartment and started the trek over to his place. She had seen him at school a couple times, but they only have classes together three times a week and it had been over five days since she had last kissed him.

She knew she was being a complete baby over it. After all, military wives spent months on end without even hearing the others voice, while raising kids alone and putting on a brave face. Spencer had spent every night that they were apart talking to him on the phone for at least two hours. He'd put her on speaker when he was carving or painting or some other quiet task. Most of the time they talked in the moments before sleep, since she loved when his voice was the last thing she heard before drifting off into dreams. It always meant happy dreams awaited her.

Climbing into bed next to Hanna's sleeping form, Spencer cuddled under the sheets, closing her eyes as she imagined those arms wrapping around her like they soon would again.

* * *

Spencer and Toby didn't have any classes together the next day so after Spencer's criminology class, she half-ran out of school and down the few blocks to his old apartment that he shared with Jenna. He was staying there until he managed to get the loft functioning.

She texted him when she was two minutes from his building, wishing she could go faster but afraid of slipping on the ice. The snow was heavy on the ground and even in boots she was still prone to disaster.

But when she saw him coming across the lawn to meet her, she stopped caring and raced towards him, tackling him in an excited hug that knocked him clear off of his feet.

Toby's body beneath hers shook with laughter as he hugged her tightly to him. But she grew tired of that and wanted more intimacy, leaping up to meet their lips urgently.

There were a few people passing on the sidewalk who laughed and 'aww'-ed at them. But they were oblivious. They were too wrapped up in each other to care.

Breathless, Spencer was the one to pull back, grinning and coming close to tearing up at how excited she was to finally be so close to him again. She rubbed affectionately at the skin between his ears and hairline, brushing her thumbs over his winded cheeks, pulling him into another long kiss.

Toby rolled them over, laughing with her before pressing softer kisses to her mouth, his hand sweeping behind her hair to cradle her head and keep her from getting even colder as the snow seeped into their clothes.

Smiling brighter than she had seen him in a while, he pushed himself off of her, practically prancing towards his apartment building in excitement of getting private time with his girlfriend after being apart for so long.

However something cold and wet hit him in the hood and he felt freezing moisture drip down his neck into the hidden depths of his shirt.

Toby spun around in shock as Spencer giggled into her hand like a misbehaving child.

"Oh, you want to play games, do you? Do you forget who always wins?" Toby challenged and got that glint in his eye that let her _know _she was in trouble.

"No, Toby, I didn't mean it!" she shouted through her giggles, running in the opposite direction as he chased her across the vast lawn.

Toby scooped up a snowball of roughly the same size and got her right in the middle of her back. She swiveled and broke out her competitive stance, reaching down to gather more snow and raising an eyebrow at him, like do-you-really-want-to-play-this-game-because-I'll-bring-it-and-you-know-I-will.

Toby merely grinned in response and also dug for another handful of snow.

And so the war began.

Spencer honestly couldn't see from all the tears pouring down her face from her laughter and the balls of white flying through the air as she and Toby dove for cover and dodged flying projectiles. Finally he tackled her to the ground again and kissed her so hard and so long she forgot her whole name.

They were both out of breath by now and still recovering from their laughing fit. Spencer ran her fingers affectionately through his messy hair, sighing in bliss. This is what she missed most about Toby. Somehow, someway, he always managed to bring out her inner child. It was one of her absolute favorite things about him.

He brushed away her left behind tears and wrapped his arm around her waist as he led her inside. She hugged his side completely, not caring that it made walking more difficult.

"How was Christmas shopping yesterday? Do you know what you're getting Jenna?" Spencer asked as they climbed the few floors to his place.

He smirked. "A muzzle?"

Spencer smacked him, but couldn't contain a snicker. Jenna had been better, and she took Toby moving out in stride. Spencer was actually surprised at how well she took it but when they had their talk, she _had_ said that if things got too hard they'd have to figure something else out. Spencer wasn't sure if they were planning on telling their parents but she knew that his family was a sensitive subject so she hadn't brought it up.

Opening the door to the apartment they were greeted with the sight of Jenna pulling freshly baked cookies out of the oven. She smiled brightly when she saw them.

"I thought you were coming over. I made extra hot chocolate just in case." she said warmly as she dished the cookies out on a plate.

Spencer sucked in her lips and looked at Toby with her perfected puppy dog look.

He rolled his eyes. "I think you're old enough to make your own decisions. If you want some, go get it."

That was enough for Spencer and she practically skipped over after she got her coat off.

Jenna laughed, knowing how much Spencer had raved about her homemade hot chocolate recipe after the first time. "I'm heading out, but help yourselves to the cookies too."

Spencer, as a girl, had caught the excited look on her face and noticed she looked a little more dressed up than normal. Although, truth be told, Jenna usually was dressed quite well. There were a few pieces Spencer wouldn't mind borrowing herself.

"Got a hot date?" Spencer asked mischievously as she sipped at her drink, her snowball fight and reunion with her boyfriend leaving her in a state of bliss that even Jenna couldn't tarnish.

Jenna blushed, which made Toby stare. "Oh my god, you DO!" Toby exclaimed, sounding much more like a preteen female than himself, which caused both Spencer and Jenna to crack up.

His step-sister tucked her hair shyly behind her ears. "We've been seeing each other the past couple weeks. He's taking me to this art exhibit that just opened up and then we're making dinner at his place…"

Spencer, a girl despite her insistence on a regular basis that she was much more mature than say _Hanna_, immediately honed in on the inquisition. "Ooh a man not afraid of culture… very nice. Where did you guys meet?"

"He um actually drove me home after that… fiasco at the club." she admitted, hating reminding them of that night since it was such a storm for the trio. She continued quickly. "I was walking alone and crying and he's a cop so he pulled up to make sure I was okay and then I basically had a breakdown and somehow he found that endearing…" she rambled bashfully.

Spencer smiled though. She could tell by Jenna's embarrassment that she actually really liked this guy. And frankly, Spencer was all for Jenna being after someone other than her step-brother.

"Well I think that's adorable. Have fun." Spencer told her honestly as Jenna pulled on her scarf and mittens.

She smiled sincerely at the other brunette, never thinking they could ever get to this place. "Thanks, Spencer."

After the door closed, Toby cocked an eyebrow at her. "Laying it on a little thick, Spence? You just went from snorting at a joke about getting her a muzzle to exchanging boy stories like you were at a sleepover."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "I'm just being friendly. I want to leave this whole thing behind on a positive note and I'm genuinely happy that Jenna has found someone else to keep her occupied. I sort of like having you all to myself, you see." she teased, tugging at the collar of his shirt as he came closer.

"Mhmm, well in that case, I don't know if you noticed, but there's mistletoe here…" he teased.

She looked around, bewildered. "No there's not!"

He grinned before tugging on her waist so she was flush to him. "Where's your Christmas spirit, Spence? Believing is seeing. And as if I need an excuse…"

His words trailed off into her mouth as they engaged in their first exchange of private kisses in almost a week.

Spencer was all too happy to lose herself in him, running her hands from his belt up to his shoulders and back down again, before he pulled back.

"Speaking of Christmas, thought any more of what you might want?" he asked, grabbing the plate of cookies and their mugs so they could cuddle on the sofa.

Spencer leaned into him, nibbling on one of the chocolate chip delights. "Mmm not really. I'm sure you'll come up with something ridiculously awesome that will blow my gift for you out of the water though."

"Why, what'd you get me?" he teased.

Spencer smirked. "I haven't gotten it yet." she told him honestly. "Anything you want?"

He sighed. "It's not very romantic, but I wouldn't mind a couple more tools… even some to replace my old ones. The blade on my jigsaw is far overused now." He sighed. "I was hoping that with the crazy deal I got on the loft that I could afford to get a truck after all… but even a used getaway car is more than I've got saved up." he admitted, pulling out his phone to show her a selling ad for an old tan Chevy pickup truck. It looked like it was from before they were born.

He flipped through the pictures and she saw the light in his eyes at the sight of it.

"Toby, it has a _cassette_ player." she said in disbelief.

Toby practically pouted. "It gives it character." he said defensively.

She rolled her eyes, trying to keep from laughing.

"I sort of love it… it reminds me of my grandfather's old truck. But the buyers already got another offer and I don't have the funds. I can't expect him to wait for me."

Spencer feigned her best regretful face, taking Toby's phone to pretend to take another look at it. She quickly sent the link to her phone for later.

"When was the last time you saw your grandparents?" she asked conversationally as she passed his phone back, but she was surprised at the emotions that passed through his eyes. They finally settled on sadness.

"I haven't seen them since Mom's funeral. They live in Baltimore, where we buried her, and with the way things with my dad went and all that changed… we just never got to visit." he explained vaguely.

Spencer knew there was more to it but she wouldn't press him on it. He would tell her when he was ready.

"So what'd you get me?" Spencer asked spontaneously, grinning at his amused expression at her playfulness.

"It's not so much _gotten_ something as _made _you something, but you'll get it when the loft is ready… because I think that's where you'll want to use it." he told her sweetly.

Spencer felt the excitement swell in her chest, just like it did when she was a kid on Christmas Eve. He had to know giving her such vague but intriguing details would set her curiosity aflame.

She shook his arm. "_Toby_…. I want it _now_…." she whined.

He chuckled at her and kissed her temple affectionately. "Closer to Christmas, sweetheart, I promise."

Satisfied, Spencer settled back into his arms and cuddled closer, revisiting the feeling that this would be the best Christmas yet. If she was going to spend it in these arms, there really was no doubt about it.


	6. Chapter 6

You thought I loved you before? HA! An update THE NEXT DAY?! Can you believe it? I'm still reeling...

Anyways, your responses last chapter inspired me and well, you know how I feel about Spoby. They inspire me every single day in one way or another.

The chapter I've been talking about since I started this story, the one I'm excited for you to read, is next chapter now. It was just a really emotional thing to write and I reallyyyy hope I do it justice. ALSO this chapter... I delve into Hanna. Please let me know how I did? I've only ever really written Spencer/Toby for PLL, so that was my first time writing her. It was insecure-Hanna, so I was more channeling her pre-PLL side, but I've always related really well to her. We all have insecurities and I just think Ashley Benson portrays her so well, she does the emotion-mix of her exquisitely. But I mean, who on PLL is bad at their job, seriously...

Anyways drop a minor bomb in this chapter... or is it one? Guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out ;) Lots of Spoby fluff of course, the only thing I know how to write, and I basically sobbed over them the whole time so if anything is off or sounds weird, please point it out. I just love Spoby more than is healthy.

Moving on, I really really reallyyyyy hope you guys like this chapter! I'm excited to share more with you because you're all so kind and wonderful. I know what celebrities mean when they say they have the best fans in the world. You guys are the BEST x3

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

"I'm so glad Hanna and Caleb made up." Emily, on the other end of the line, voiced Spencer's silent thoughts.

"I know. You should've seen her, Em. I haven't seen her that broken up since her dad left." she told her as she walked briskly through the crisp snow. She wished she could've taken her car but then she would've had to abandon something. And as much as she loved Hanna, she was not the best driver, especially in the winter months. Spencer was perfectly capable of taking the bus though; it really wasn't that far away.

"Poor Han. She called me the next day and you seemed to have really gotten through to her because she only needed a couple words of encouragement to convince her to call him to talk. But they're all good now?"

"Yes, finally. I was tiptoeing on eggshells around her, so scared of bringing up the wrong thing. But she burst into my room after their talk and hugged me so tight I'm surprised my head didn't pop off and roll away…" Spencer explained amusedly, hopping off of her bus and waiting at the crosswalk. She was only a few blocks away now.

"Did you get the details? Of why he was avoiding her?"

Spencer smirked. "You know Hanna. As soon as she has a good story to tell, she'll tell you in full detail from start to finish…" She thought back to the story she had heard almost a week ago now.

* * *

_There was an air of awkwardness in the air; as soon as Hanna let Caleb inside the apartment normally they'd have already exchanged countless greeting kisses and playful banter. This time, just silence and acknowledging nods. Hanna didn't like it; she didn't like it one bit._

_She sat next to him, but on the chair adjacent to the couch, crossing her legs and squirming uncomfortably. She had never been one for conflict. She was fine with short bursts of telling someone off but she had never been one of those people who liked to sit and discuss feelings. She certainly _had _feelings, but it didn't mean she wanted to talk about them._

_Feelings left you vulnerable and exposed and, when she was overweight up until a couple years ago, she had felt that enough. Being overweight, people felt they had a right to push you around. Judge you. They'd look at you and see your failures so blatantly on display. You couldn't hide when you were fat. Everyone saw you for what you were; and they mocked you for it._

"_God has she ever heard of a stairmaster…"_

"_Not everyone can rock yoga pants okay…"_

"_What do you think? Is that her third or fourth helping?"_

_You'd walk in a room. Eyes would turn to you as they would to anyone interrupting the balance of quiet. But it was different than if it was just anybody. Some pretty girls might even sneer at the sight of you. As for the girls like you, they'd scan your body, making sure that _they _weren't the one with the bigger waistline. Because even amongst like-people, who understood how you felt, they often judged you the most. A sense of relief would wash over you if you were the skinnier of the two._

Thank god I'm not the fattest one here_, your mind would say. _I am not the biggest failure here.

_Because being overweight automatically made people picture you just gorging on cakes and chips and pop while laying all day on a couch, watching mindless television and not wiping your face of various syrup and crumbs. Society has pegged overweight as something to be ashamed of, that you can have no pride in your body or yourself if you are not able to be a bikini model. Although being overweight isn't something to strive for, healthiness should be the goal of losing excessive pounds, not acceptance. We are all people underneath and beauty is not just skin deep._

_But now, sitting here with Caleb, who was scuffing his toes awkwardly on the laminate but with his intense eyes focused on her, Hanna felt more exposed than she had all those years growing up. Even when she was picked last in gym class every time._

"_So… we should talk." he finally said uncomfortably._

_Hanna fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Okay. So, talk."_

"_You called _me _here, remember?"_

_She sent him an annoyed look, crossing her arms now. "Well that's because you have been all distant and weird."_

"_Yeah, well that's only because you have been avoiding me!" Caleb shot back._

"_Well…!" she exclaimed, but cut off her sentence, not really sure what excuse she had. She slouched in disappointment and looked at the rug. "Look, Caleb, you've been different since the other night… I know I don't have to tell you I was a virgin since I obviously sucked at it… but if you want to break things off, please, just tell me now…"_

_She was trying to be brave and strong about it but her voice cracked._

"_Hanna," Caleb began, sounding shocked. "The other night… it didn't suck, okay? It was the opposite of sucky… it…"_

_He sighed. He tried a different approach, becoming much less panicked and more serious._

"_Look. My whole life I've felt alone… even when I was with people. That is until I met you." _

_Hanna looked up hopefully, pushing her hair back so she could see him better._

_Caleb continued, looking torn. "The other night… sharing that with you… I never knew I could… I never felt…"_

_He sighed again. "I'm making a complete ass of myself right now, aren't I?" he said bitterly._

_Hanna couldn't help it; she giggled a little. "Yeah, a bit. But I'm having fun watching you try to dig yourself out of it."_

_He smirked at her, just as happy as she was for the return of their banter._

_It seemed to give him courage. Caleb reached to squeeze her hands in his. "Hanna, sharing that with you made me feel things I've never felt before. I… felt myself completely give myself over to you and trust you in ways I've never trusted anyone. You weren't the only virgin in the room."_

_She simply blinked at him, shocked at this discovery._

_He continued. "But I don't regret that. I've only been so distant because feeling like that sort of freaked me out… and I was scared with the way you were pulling away that I might lose you. And I don't want to. These past few days have shown me that it's not that simple… that all these feelings can only mean one thing."_

_Hanna's cerulean blue eyes were round and anxious now, her body unconsciously leaning closer as she waited for him to finish._

_Caleb sent her his famous crooked smile. "I _love_ you, Hanna. I'm sorry if I haven't been the best at showing it. But if you let me, I promise I'll make it up to you."_

_But Hanna had already lunged herself at him, knocking him onto his back on the couch and kissing the breath from his mouth. She could hardly kiss him properly with the grin on her face and the tears pouring out of her eyes but she kissed him repeatedly as he returned the gesture._

"_I love you too. I love you too." she told him joyfully through her mess of moisture, squeezing around him tightly as he buried his face in her blond curls._

_They both laughed easily into each other, overjoyed with the fact that this mess was already behind them._

* * *

"Aww that's so sweet. I think Caleb's good for her. It's good to know she's good for him too." Emily said happily from the other end as Spencer wrapped up the story, preferring to sugarcoat the ending and make it much more G-rated. She doubted Emily needed the details Spencer had gotten from their overenthusiastic friend. All Spencer knew was she was officially never sitting on that couch again.

But she smiled at Emily's response. "I know."

"Where are you, Spence? You sound a little out of breath." Emily detected in her always-perceptive way.

Spencer's tender smile morphed into a full-out grin, unable to help herself despite her freezing toes and ears. "I'm going to pick up Toby's Christmas present. I'm just really eager." she explained with a laugh. "The seller said I could pick it up at three."

"Seller? What in the world are you getting him?" she asked incredulously.

"Um… well… it's a little more than I had planned on spending but I sold the daughter ring my parents gave me online-"

"Spencer! That ring is probably worth at least five grand!" Emily gasped.

"I know…" Spencer pacified as she half-skipped down the street. "But Em, I would give my entire trust fund to Toby if he would accept it. He needs this and it's going to help him be more independent and do what he wants to do and I can already picture his face, after he finishes smacking me for overspending…" she trailed off dreamily. "He wants this truck so badly, Em, even though it's probably older than you and I put together. Even when I called the seller and mentioned that it was for Toby, he said he was sort of waiting around to give an answer to the other guy who had actually made an offer because he could tell that Toby really wanted it and knew it would be in good hands. This truck is so perfectly Toby it's ridiculous and I can't just sit by and let him sacrifice his happiness when I have such an easy solution."

"Spencer, are you sure about this? I mean, aren't your parents going to wonder where that ring went…?"

She made a dismissive noise. "Oh please, they didn't even get the right stone or size. They don't pay attention to _that_ much I doubt they'll pay attention to if I'm wearing it or not. Plus I barely see them now except for holidays and I prefer it that way."

"Spencer…" Emily said sadly.

"Seriously, Em. This is a much better use of that money. When Toby was willing to sell his baby to get this thing, I knew I had to do it."

"His motorcycle?" Emily clarified, remembering the couple's fond retellings of their adventures on that thing together. She remembered her shock, and everyone else's, at the fact that Spencer had not only climbed on but _enjoyed_ riding it.

"Yeah. He loves that thing and so do I. It wasn't that hard to convince him out of it."

"What did you tell him?"

Spencer grinned, remembering the look on her boyfriend's face when she said the words…

"_I've been thinking…if I sold my bike I could afford the truck _and _the loft."_

_Spencer stopped in her tracks and he turned in surprise to look at her. She crossed her arms. "Toby, I think we should break up." she deadpanned._

_He gaped at her for a moment before laughing, knowing how much she loved that thing. "Spencer… it's just a motorcycle… I can get another one someday…"_

_She shook her head. "That bike is your baby. You do not replace your kids with new ones."_

"_Spencer…"_

"_Fine. Sell it. But remember it's either me and the bike, or you and your truck…" she teased._

_Toby rolled his eyes. He knew she was mostly kidding, but he also knew that he wasn't about to take his chances. Spencer was the most stubborn person he had ever met._

"_Okay, okay, I do love my bike. It would probably hurt more in the long run to part with it. I guess I'll have to figure something else out…"_

_She kissed him once on the mouth. "Smart move."_

"Spencer!" Emily scolded but was laughing.

At the time, Spencer had already had plans to buy the truck and had spoken with the seller. She didn't want Toby to call him up and ruin the whole thing. After she had changed his mind, Spencer had been pleased with her victory and was grateful that she had gotten a buy request on her online ad for the ring later that same night.

She had sold it to a sweet young redhead girl who admitted she was buying it for her sister. The red haired teen had lost her older sister's ring when she was playing in her room some number of years ago and she hoped that by replacing it it would bridge the connection they used to have back. Spencer felt the story tug at her estranged-family-heartstrings and was more than happy to sell it to her at a reduced price. The fact that she could afford it made Spencer understand that her family was probably very much like the Hastings which only made her all the more willing to hand it over. The girl had cried when she saw the ad and that it was the exact same birthstones and the right size for her sister. Spencer was happy to be making two Christmas' with her trade.

"Oh come ON, Emily, where's your Christmas spirit?!" Spencer exclaimed, seeing the parked truck now and practically falling out of her skin in excitement. "I've got to go be the best girlfriend ever. We'll talk soon, Em!"

Emily laughed, shaking her head disbelievingly at how carefree Spencer was when it came to showing someone how much she loved them. "All right, Spence. Take care of yourself. Toby does deserve it." she admitted.

"He really does." Spencer agreed before hanging up and heading over to greet the man who seemed to have spotted her coming up the walk.

The shaggy haired blonde man in his mid-twenties smiled brightly at her. "You must be Spencer."

She returned the gesture and shook his hand. "Yeah, nice to meet you properly." She was practically beaming over at the truck.

The man seemed to have noticed, chuckling under his breath. "Your boyfriend is going to lose his mind when he sees you pull up in that."

Spencer couldn't help grinning as the guy led her over to it, wanting to go over the basic features. He summarized the basic stuff, and then seeing her lost expression, chuckled and handed her a written down list for Toby to go through on his own time. They had already discussed the technical stuff when Toby was looking to buy it, but at least it was a reference guide in case he forgot anything.

"If it gives you any trouble, give me a call. I've troubleshooted this baby for years but I've got a real job now so I need to invest in a more business-happy car." the guy said, sort of forlornly, and Spencer tried not to laugh at how attached men got to their cars. It was like giving up a limb.

The seller continued. "Just double-pump the clutch and she should be good to go. She runs beautifully considering how aged she is. But she's been taken care of. I'm sure Toby will repay the favor."

She nodded vigorously. "You should see his motorcycle. I swear he takes better care of that thing than himself."

The man laughed, understanding.

Spencer smiled. "Thanks for everything." she told him as she put the newly-handed-over-keys into the ignition after giving him the envelope of cash. "I promise Toby will treat this thing like it's made of glass. He was contemplating selling his motorcycle to get this, but thankfully he talked to me before he talked to you. Idiot almost ruined everything."

The dirty-blonde laughed again. "Well I'm glad he appreciates its value. He mentioned he's going into architecture and is looking for short term construction jobs… when the snow clears up in the spring, I'm looking to build a fence. Do you mind dropping him a line about it? I'd love an extra hand and he sounds like the real deal."

Spencer was practically beaming at him. "That sounds amazing, he'll definitely be up for it. He's really talented and that's not even the bias speaking." she promised.

The guy smirked. "I believe you. Well, thanks Spencer. It's been a pleasure. Toby has my number so I guess I'll see you around."

She nodded, revving the engine to leave. "Hey, I never caught your name."

He turned back. "Oh, sorry, it's Jason. Jason DiLaurentis."

* * *

"Where are you?" Toby asked amusedly when Spencer finally picked up his call.

He knew something was up when he heard her inhale a shaky breath.

"Can I bring your Christmas gift over? I can't wait to give it to you." she blurted out, breaking off into giddy laughter and Toby swore she gave him a new reason to fall for her every single day.

"Please do. Yours is waiting for you here." he admitted amusedly. The loft had finally come together and although it wasn't perfect yet, he wanted Spencer's input for the last finishing touches so he had agreed to let her come over. She had said she had an errand first and would be right there. He assumed picking up his gift had been part of that.

"Can you meet me out front?" Spencer asked slyly, only minutes away now. Her excitement was practically exploding at this point.

Toby laughed, pocketing his keys as he locked his place and padded downstairs. "I'm coming, I'm coming. Are you here?"

"Just pulling up now…" she sing-songed as he passed through the front doors.

Toby felt confused and his face showed it. Her apartment was pretty close by, she normally just walked to visit him at work. His bewildered expression remained on his face as he walked out of the coffee shop.

That is until he saw his girlfriend inside the truck of his dreams, the one he had spent hours over calculators and pencils and erasers trying to figure out a way that he could afford the repairs on the loft as well as next semester's tuition, rent, groceries and all the rest of his expenses.

His phone shut with a snap as he gaped at her.

Spencer, smug as ever and unable to stop the grin on her face, raised an eyebrow at him.

Words seemed to register in his brain slower than normal. "Spencer…" he started, shaking his head in disbelief and almost laughing at how unreal she was.

She tossed him the keys which he magically caught despite his fuzzy brain. "Take it. It's yours." she told him a little giddily, loving his reaction so far.

"Are you _crazy_?" he asked seriously, still chuckling, unable to wrap his head around her generosity and how she had concocted such a scheme. "Do you know how long it's going to take me to pay you back?"

She shrugged, still grinning, as he came closer. She leaned easily back against the truck, her hands tucked behind her back. "Well now that you have this truck… maybe it wouldn't have taken that long after all. In fact, I have a guy who already wants to hire you once the snow clears up…"

Toby was directly in front of her now, practically _cracking up_ at how surreal the whole thing was. Was this real life? He stared down into her chocolate eyes, seeing how happy making him happy really made her.

He said the first, and only, thing that could come to his mind. "I love you so much."

Spencer's eyes filled with happy tears as she replayed every faucet in his voice during those five words. Toby was anything but insincere. He meant those words with every fiber in his being and she loved him for it.

"I wanted to say that first." she confessed, cursing her voice for breaking a little, before pulling him into a joyful kiss.

It was true. She had a plan in motion since they started dating that she would spring those words on him in a completely and utterly romantic way, thus throwing her back into the balance with him for Romantic Significant Other Number One. As usual, Toby had beat her to the punch.

Even with the wind chilling the moisture on her cheeks, she had never felt so warm and whole as Toby kissed her back enthusiastically. Even though she had said those same words to Wren countless times, they were different this time. They meant more with Toby. She didn't have room to feel insecure around Toby; she didn't ever question his motives or the meaning behind the things he'd say. She trusted him wholly and completely and loved him even more.

When he finally pulled back, he leaned his forehead against hers. "Your present is waiting upstairs. It'll never compete with how much you've given me, but it's a start." Toby said, dual-meaning in his words.

Spencer linked her arm through his and cuddled into his shoulder as they climbed the steps to his place, passing by all of the coffee-shop-goers. Even his coworkers left Toby alone, sensing from afar that there was a lot more happening tonight than just a simple get together. It was all over both of their faces.

Toby felt the excitement of gift-giving build in his own heart as he unlocked the door. First he had to show her the loft. Then it would be her turn. But still, it was an exciting moment.

Feeling like it deserved a dramatic reveal, Toby threw open the door wide and let her take the first steps through.

She couldn't help but gasp.

The last time Spencer had seen the place, it was almost foggy with dust and the walls were bare and full of plaster and the floor was just plywood and other recycled wood materials.

Now the floor was waxed oak hardwood all the way through except for the kitchen and bathroom which looked to be some sort of stone grey marble-like tile. The walls of the main area were a butter cream yellow, brightening up the single windowed room quite nicely, well, had it been day time. It was furnished now and Spencer almost blushed when she thought about breaking in that new couch with Toby. There were multiple ways to do that…

But the cupboards were designed like his dining room table, with intricate curved branch-like designs woven into the wood and the handles were sleek and modern. He had managed to gather some used appliances and even picked up a washer and dryer that were tucked nicely away behind an installed shuttered closet door.

Toby's bedroom was simple as always but Spencer could see even the subtlest of differences. He painted this time, a pale blue that matched his eyes, and he had a lot more personal stuff in there now. Spencer smiled when she saw a picture of her and him, his arms wrapped around her, his chin on her shoulder, both of them smiling happily at the camera. That had been taken at their last get-together with everybody. She had forgotten about Aria's obsessive picture taking ever since she had taken a photography class as an elective and Spencer assumed he must have gotten the copy from Ezra. Next to it, rightfully so, was a picture of Toby and Ezra, obviously goofing off at work. A candid no doubt from when Aria visited her boyfriend.

Back in the living room, Spencer finally noticed a rather tall thing with a sheet over it.

"Toby, you did an amazing job. This place is beautiful." she told him honestly, kissing him softly on the mouth. "So much of this is you… it really is _your_ place." she said stupidly, not really sure how to word what she meant.

But Toby understood. He imitated the framed photo in his bedroom, his hands intertwined to rest on her abdomen as he held her, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"It's a working progress, but I love it. For the first time in a long time I feel like I'm home." he admitted, shooting a smile at her on the last word.

Spencer blushed as she realized what he was implying. She turned her head slightly to kiss him again.

He was smiling when they separated. "So… want your present?"

Spencer nodded eagerly, skipping after him as he rounded to the sheet-covered something-or-other.

He chuckled at her over-eagerness. Her hands were clasped in front of her face and she was biting her lip in anticipation, looking very much like a kid about to get a new puppy.

Toby lifted the sheet and tossed it to the side, revealing a beautiful rocking chair carved to perfection.

Spencer unconsciously stepped forward and touched the smooth wood. It was made up of bi-colored wooden slates, curving in an elegant manner over the back and the arms. The base, where the rockers lay, had crossed pieces, most likely to add sturdiness but Spencer felt they really tied the whole thing together. It gave it a bit of an old-fashioned edge, but she sleekness and design were still modern enough to appease her.

She didn't even realize she was crying until she let out a sob and Toby's arms had pulled her into a close hug. She buried her tears into his shoulder. No one had ever taken so much time and care to give her anything, let alone _make_ her something. It was beautiful. It was so _her _she couldn't even fathom how he could manage to know her so well without her even sharing that much.

"I love it. I love it so much." she exclaimed tearfully into his shoulder, giggling now as she squeezed him extra tight. "God, Toby, I love _you_ so much."

She was shocked to see the tears swimming in his eyes as he pulled back but he corrected his throat and blinked a bunch, no doubt in an attempt to push them back. "And I love you."

She was beaming at him as he attempted to wipe away her tears. She understood what he meant when he responded to her gift earlier; he was giving her _so_ much more than a rocking chair.

"Your present's not actually done." Spencer admitted apprehensively.

Toby released her in shock. "Spencer, you've already done too much."

She shook her head. "No, this is sort of for us. Pack an overnight bag. We're going on a little roadtrip." she teased.

Toby grinned as she pulled the keys out of his jeans pocket, smirking mischievously at him over her shoulder.


	7. Chapter 7

I had hoped to get this up on Friday night but I decided to split what I had into two separate chapters. SO even though I said this one is one I'm excited to share, only the beginning piece reaaally is, but I'm always excited to share my work with you guys :) Basically, the first part of this story I wrote was the first chunk of this chapter and its sort of the reason why I wrote a sequel, rather than just extending my original. Then I had to work my way up to it, so hopefully it all makes sense. Feel free to point out anything that seems off or doesn't fit.

Some questions are answered this chapter. Hope it doesn't disappoint any of you too much. I believe strongly in validating their feelings, of all of the spectrum. And for those who are having questions over Jason, the answers will come eventually. I write this story like the show, where I plant seeds for secrets but don't fully explain anything until later. It's what keeps you all interested ;) Or, well, that's my intention...

But for those curious, you have no seen the last of him, that much is for certain ;)

This, and the next chapter, had to involve some improvising so by definition, there are original characters introduced.

Anyways blah blah blah, words words words, ENJOY!

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

"Spencer, we've been driving for two hours. Where on earth are you abducting me to?" Toby asked amusedly from the passenger seat, not used to being the target for surprises.

Spencer grinned, far too proud that he hadn't figured it out yet. "I told you… its part of your Christmas present. It's why I gave you the truck early."

"I still can't believe you bought me a truck." he muttered, shaking his head at his girlfriend. _Girlfriend_. He'd never get tired of that word.

"You needed it and I felt like some retail therapy, especially after that fiasco with my family. I'd much rather spend money on something for you than have them spend it on redoing the barn for the twenty-seventh time." she explained with a roll of her eyes.

"You're crazy, you know that?" Toby teased.

Spencer smirked. "But you _love_ me." she reminded him, still glowing from the words they exchanged only a few hours before.

"Well I'd be crazy not to." Toby murmured, slipping her hand off the wheel and into his.

She shot him a dazzling smile and continued along the road, comfortably driving one-handed. "Have you not been reading the signs on the way here? Do you really have no idea where we are?" she asked incredulously.

"I seriously don't have a clue. It's dark now so I can't even tell if this place is familiar." Toby explained.

"I just hope you won't be mad at me when you figure it out." Spencer admitted quietly, much more vulnerable than her upbeat personality of the past few minutes.

"Why would I be mad?" he asked in confusion.

"I guess you're about to find out." she said apprehensively, pulling up on the side of the road and parking. She forced a smile at him before hopping out, keeping one hand on the car to avoid slipping on ice as she made her way around to his side. "Come on. I'll show you."

After they had passed some trees to get to the entrance, Toby saw where they were. His voice caught in his throat as he followed Spencer through the rows. She had a map out and after a few minutes, they reached where they needed to be.

There it stood.

_Leslie Marie Cavanaugh_

_Beloved Mother, Wife and Friend._

_Brave fighter, limitless lover, may you rest in peace, free at last._

Toby unconsciously reached out to stroke the tombstone, tears falling quickly to melt the snow beneath his feet as he squatted in front of it.

Spencer wasn't sure what to do in these situations, but she crouched down next to him and rested her hand on his shoulder, squeezing slightly. She pulled out something else from her bag and handed it to him.

"From you and I and your dad." she explained softly, the three red roses contrasting beautifully with the pure white snow.

Toby nodded gratefully, the lump in his throat too large to form words. He hadn't been to see his mom's grave since the funeral. They had taken her back to Baltimore to be buried, her last wish, since it was where she grew up.

His gloved fingertips stroked across the aged stone, the discoloration remnants of the few years it had been standing there marking her place. He felt another hit to his heart as he realized just how long it had really been since he had last seen her, since he had last heard her laugh. Toby couldn't stop himself from letting out a small sob. Spencer immediately nestled into his arms in a hug and he held her as close to him as possible.

"She would've loved you, Spence. You remind me of her sometimes. The two of you would've teamed up and poked fun at me constantly if she was still around." he confessed through his tears, his words shaky as he tried to laugh at the happy images. The cold was making his face sting even more from the moisture. "I miss her so much."

Spencer nodded, tears soaking her face now too. "I know. She would be so proud of you, of who you've become. Don't doubt that she's not still around. Her strength lives inside you, Toby."

Toby nodded, but couldn't stop the inevitable sobs that followed. He clutched Spencer to him, holding her securely in his lap, reminding himself that everything he had to live for was right in his arms in that moment.

"I can't even explain how much I love you. Thanks for taking me here. I needed this." he whispered into her hair, pressing his lips to her temple.

Spencer smiled, her head tucked under his chin. "I love you so much. There's no need to thank me."

Although Spencer had no true tie to Toby's mom, she felt she had needed this too.

* * *

After a while, the wind picked up and the chill of the night overcame the town. The pair decided to head out, Toby's arm wrapping tightly around Spencer to secure her to his side.

"We_ should_ get a room. Drive back in the morning. The roads are going to be awful soon." Toby told her seriously and she nodded, knowing that the snow that was falling now mixed with the sudden drop in temperature would make the pavement like butter all too soon.

Spencer had figured that might happen and with the lateness of the evening, it was just better for everyone.

Toby took over driving which was perfectly fine with Spencer. After the car heated up enough to function, they stopped at the nearest motel.

"This looks straight out a horror movie." Spencer stated automatically when they pulled into the parking lot. The neon light sign was flickering in and out and the place looked pretty vacant.

Toby chuckled. "I'll protect you, I promise. Wait here if you feel more comfortable."

Spencer scoffed. "Oh because _that_ doesn't sound like the start of every horror movie… leave the defenseless girl alone in the car. She hears a sound. Looks around nervously. Maybe sees a cat by the garbage cans and sighs in relief, blaming that for the disturbance. But the wait is too long. The boyfriend doesn't return. She sees a figure in the distance, approaching the car. She calls out her boyfriend's name, hoping it's him, but no response. She starts to panic and tries to get out but the doors are locked and the boyfriend took the keys with him. She starts screaming as the menacing dark figure comes closer, maybe with a knife or some sick twisted weapon raised, like a jigsaw or a hook. Fade to black. Bright morning light and the cops are investigating the scene, or the next victims are watching the whole thing on the news-"

"OH-kay. You need to stop watching horror movies with Hanna. Come with me then. I just don't want you to be colder than you need to be." he told her amusedly, shaking his head at her crazy antics. She had some imagination.

And a point. Some scary movies were just too textbook.

Spencer linked their arms tightly as they crossed the parking lot together. She was glad she told Toby to pack an overnight bag. Well, _she _had mostly packed it since he was a boy and wasn't used to packing for sleepovers. She had been all too happy to pick out the most of his clothes while he gathered up his toiletries. Spencer herself had stashed her own bag in the truck before heading over to Toby's as well as an extra bag of survival gear in case they got stranded.

After Toby got a key to two-fifteen, they entered the room to find it thankfully well heated.

"I brought your pajamas if you want to get more comfortable." Spencer told him as she dug through the bag. "Top or bottom?" she asked innocently.

Toby couldn't help but laugh, knowing she was making fun of him from the time he asked her the very same. He wasn't going to have a moment of panic like she had. "Whichever one you don't want." he countered casually.

But she was too quick on her feet with him now to fall for that. "Hmm… I'll take bottom." she replied, tossing him the t-shirt that she had grabbed from his dresser earlier.

He had to admit he hadn't been expecting that. He simply gaped at her for a minute before closing his mouth. "Touché."

Spencer grinned and threw him the pants, pulling out the anchor long-sleeved shirt she had stolen before they had been officially dating. She slept in it around him often. She knew he loved seeing her in his clothes, even if he wouldn't always admit it out loud.

Toby went to go get changed in the bathroom. The pull-across-shutters stuck and left a sliver of him visible as he began undressing.

Spencer found her eyes drawn to him as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the floor. She unconsciously bit her lip as her eyes traced his phenomenal abdomen. They settled on the script on his hip, smiling as she remembered the meaning he had shared with her the few months before. She was even happier with her decision to bring him there tonight.

Toby stepped forward to finish undressing, going to grab the pajamas that he left on the counter and he was suddenly out of sight.

Spencer sighed and changed into the soft shirt, throwing her clothes back in her bag. She saw her perfume bottle rolling around the bottom and, peeking to make sure Toby was still occupied, spritzed it on her neck, wrists and between her breasts for good measure. She wasn't sure if anything would happen between them tonight or not but she was hopeful. Her conversation with Hanna was still at the back of her mind.

Toby finally had returned, fully clothed, and smiled upon seeing her choice of outfit. She smiled back mischievously, lounging on the bed in what she hoped was a seductive pose.

Spencer patted the spot next to her, raising her eyebrows at him.

He smirked. "Is _Spencer Hastings_ trying to seduce me?" he fake-gasped, a hand over his heart.

She giggled as he descended next to her. "Well I'm not going to use some 'there's mistletoe' cheap trick…" she retorted with a grin.

He poked her in the stomach playfully. "Admit it: you thought it was cute. And if my memory serves me correctly, it definitely worked…"

Spencer chewed her tongue, refusing to give in. Truth be told, she thought it was one of the cutest things he had ever said. It was so corny and Toby it had been perfect.

His arm had wrapped around her middle now, pulling her against him. "Sure you're not going to be too cold in just a t-shirt? It is minus seven outside…" he reminded her as his lips ghosted from behind her ear down her neck.

Her ability to think of a witty retort proved difficult when his lips were brushing so sensually against her sensitive skin. "So keep me warm." she said a little too breathily, in an attempt to be forward, pulling his mouth to hers.

Toby didn't hesitate to reciprocate and Spencer felt her heart beat faster when he slipped his left knee between her legs so he could hover over her body more comfortably. Their kissing heated up, Spencer's hands gripping his shirt on his back as his slid under hers so he was gripping her bare waist.

Nervous, Spencer slowly pushed his shirt up his torso, waiting for the protest.

She didn't receive any.

Toby helped her throw it to the side before meeting their lips passionately again. She had to break away to suck in air, hating that the human body needed so much. His mouth pressed deliberate kisses down her neck, more eager than before, and she started to feel like this really _was_ going somewhere. Normally he would've backed down long before now.

Her hands hungrily scratched up his abs, gripping his shoulders as he sucked on her collarbone. Her neck arched in response, giving him better access, and she found her legs looping around his thighs of their own accord.

The action caused her pelvis to rock into his. Toby groaned into her shoulder, returning the gesture. Grateful she hadn't misread things, she grinded her hips slowly against him, evidence of his arousal already pressing into her.

Spencer hauled his mouth back to hers, her fingers digging into his muscular back as she pulled him even closer to her body. His calloused hands slid further up underneath her shirt and caressed her breasts.

She couldn't help but half-gasp/half-moan into his mouth at the feeling. The way his fingers brushed over her sensitive skin, applying different levels of pressure as he responded to her body language… there was no other way to describe it; it felt amazing. An incredible tingling hit her between the legs.

Wren touching her there had never felt that good. He had never been as gentle. Or maybe it was Toby's rough skin that made such a difference. Maybe it was just because it was _Toby_. Everything he did turned her into goo, whether it was his touches or his words.

Wanting to return the favor in some manner, Spencer's fingers grasped the waistband of his pajama pants.

And that's when everything stopped.

Toby froze, not moving, as still as ice. She would've argued that he stopped breathing too.

And just like that, he had scrambled backwards off of her.

Spencer sat up quickly, attempting to fix her disheveled clothes and watching him in concern. Toby had his back to her, sitting on the edge of the bed, breathing heavily.

He sat just as stiffly as before, as if his whole body had gone into lockdown. He was practically cowering, his back hunched in a protective stance, as if he was about to get beaten. Spencer put a hand to her mouth, not sure if she was blocking cries from coming out or vomit. She knew that if she could see his eyes in that moment, there would only be fear residing there.

Spencer knew she had to do something. She just didn't know what to say.

"Toby…" she said in as gentle a voice as she could muster.

He winced at the sound involuntarily, but finally moved, running a hand through his hair stressfully.

Tentatively she shuffled over and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, rubbing her thumb soothingly over the bare skin. His body slowly relaxed and he finally looked around as if remembering where he was. As soon as he met her eyes, he turned away, throwing his head in his hands in shame.

"God, I'm so sorry, Spencer." he whispered.

Spencer moved to sit next to him. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault."

"I thought I was over what happened. I thought it wouldn't get in the way anymore." he continued sadly.

"Toby, it hasn't gotten in the way. We are still together and I love you. We'll get through this." she told him seriously.

She got up and found his t-shirt, coming back and handing it to him. He pulled his head through the hole desolately, breathing evenly, staring at the cheap carpet.

After a moment, Toby sighed and held out his arms for her. She slid closer to him and buried her face in his neck in a hug.

"What happened with Jenna was so long ago now. I shouldn't still be haunted by her. I just want to move on. I was worried this would happen." he admitted, pulling her so they were settled against the headboard.

Something finally clicked for her. "Is that why you always slow us down when things start heating up between us? You were worried your past would get in the way…" she murmured, mostly to herself, finally understanding.

Toby looked guilty. He nodded. "Yeah… it's not that I didn't want to, trust me, it's all I could think about some nights. But I was nervous for what would come to my mind if we did."

Spencer placed her hands atop his. "Why didn't you just talk to me about it? We could've worked on a solution together. Instead you had me wondering if you even wanted me that way."

Toby, having looked so depressed the past few minutes, suddenly burst out laughing. "You're kidding, right? Spencer, every red-blooded male wants you that way."

Spencer shrugged her shoulders. "To me, it seemed rather plausible. I'm really skinny and not as chesty as some girls…"

Toby cupped her face in his hands. "Spencer, you are gorgeous. I meant what I said a few months ago. You have beauty beyond ninety-five percent of the population, like a muse. There's an elegance and gracefulness about you. You're long and slender and have a face that could sail a thousand ships. I find you irresistible, hence my lack of stopping us earlier. I… I want to take that next step with you, I really, really do, but…" he trailed off, looking torn.

He knew why she was insecure. Having Wren cheat on her with Melissa of all people had been a huge hit to her already fragile self-esteem. He remembered her admitting the night that everything had blown up that she figured she must be bad in bed if Wren had gone and slept with a previous lover, as if anything was a step-up from her.

"Spencer…" he began and immediately Spencer didn't like his tone. He loosened his hold on her, pulling back to look at her, but his eyes casting downwards to the bed immediately after meeting her sad eyes. "Maybe this relationship isn't a good idea for either of us right now…"

Spencer's tears spilled over. He couldn't be breaking up with her, could he?

"It's not fair of me to ask you to pick up my broken pieces…" he explained, but he sounded just as brokenhearted as she felt.

But as much as it hurt, Toby knew what he was saying was right. Spencer was still getting over what happened with Wren, however strong she may seem. With her insecurities of not being wanted that way, and his inability to take that next level with her… it wasn't fair that he was only fueling her insecurity further with his emotional scars. He couldn't prove to Spencer how much he really felt for her and it was only hurting her more.

"Toby… it's not like that. And if you're broken, then so am I." she promised, grasping his hands tightly in hers now, desperate to get him to listen to her. "We can get through this. We can get through _anything_. I love you."

Toby looked back to her, immediately brushing her tears away with his thumbs. He kissed her softly. "I love you too."

He lifted her carefully so she was sitting in his lap, kissing her gently again.

She forced a smile. "Still want to break up?" she asked apprehensively.

Toby shook his head, hugging her now. "I never wanted to… I just don't want to ever hurt you."

She smiled for real now. "Guess that means we're never breaking up…" she teased, kissing him again. She pulled back. "We can take things slow, Toby. That's what we agreed on. I don't want to hurt you either."

He smiled. "Good. So do you want to try to find a movie on pay-per-view or something?"

Spencer laughed and turned to look at the TV that had antenna on top and dials. Toby seemed to realize this at the same time, chuckling too.

"Or…" Spencer started, climbing out of his hold despite her heart's protests. "Care for a friendly game of Scrabble?" she offered, grinning, pulling the board game out of the survival gear bag.

Toby laughed, mostly at the fact that it was in _that_ bag versus her regular. "Well I know with you playing it will be anything but friendly… but you're on."

He grinned back at her as she sat across from him on the bed.

* * *

After about an hour, all playful talking had ceased as Spencer plotted her next moves.

Toby got up to get a glass of water and held back a laugh as he saw the smug look on her face and the letters she had placed.

"Glyceraldehyde?" Toby asked amusedly, settling in his spot.

She smirked, trying not to look as smug as she felt but failing miserably. "With the C on the double letter, it is thirty-two points; plus the triple word score gets me _ninety-six_ points."

She copied down her score as Toby put his next word down.

"Goofball. You can put down a hundred-and-four points for me." he said easily. "Thanks for the G. I've been waiting for it."

Spencer sat up immediately, looking panicked.

Toby quickly explained himself, struggling with difficulty to contain his laughter. "Eighteen points, times the triple word score, plus the fifty point bingo bonus."

Spencer quickly calculated in her head, staring at the board as if willing it to change, before going back to the score chart and ignoring his gaze. "Oh. A hundred-and-four points. _Good for you_." she said, sounding far too insincere for him to be able to stop himself from laughing.

He bit his fist to contain himself. "I like this game." he added, taunting her, which she quickly realized when she finally looked at his face.

She grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him.

Toby gaped at her and saw her expression had gone from stony to playful in the matter of a few seconds.

He lifted the board onto the floor before she knew what was happening and then she saw the look in his eyes. "Toby, no!" she cried.

But he had already grasped the pillow beside him and slammed it into her side. She grinned and grabbed hers, beating him in return as they attempted to stand on the old bed. But their war was too violent for them to be able to make it without losing their balance so Spencer vowed for launching herself at him and knocking him to the ground.

They were laughing too hard to care and thankfully the fallen pillows broke their fall so it wasn't too painful. Toby pinned her down and unleashed his tickling hands on her.

Spencer fought against him but was giggling too hard to have much force behind it. Her boyfriend finally took pity on her and stopped, rolling off of her and smiling at her blissful face as she caught her breath.

She rolled on her side to meet his smiling gaze. "That was fun." she giggled.

"Always is with you." he replied, pressing an affectionate kiss to her forehead as she cuddled into his side.

Toby wrapped his arms more tightly around her, thinking back to the crazy emotional day they had had and realizing that this girl right here was going to end up being his saving grace.


	8. Chapter 8

I can honestly say your reviews last chapter had me sobbing uncontrollably. You are all far too sweet and good to me. The love I feel for each and every one of you is incredible and getting such detailed and amazing feedback from you has been a dream come true. Last chapter really meant a lot to me as a writer and getting that sort of response was the best thing I could ever ask for. Special thanks to Katie, Emma, Siretha, Bree and Ana for not only your loyalty to this story but your friendship. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, alerted, PMed, etc. I can honestly not thank you enough. You all are beautiful people and there is no other group I'd rather write for than you. It's been an absolute privilege.

ANYWAYS sorry. Sappiness takes the reins with me, as you well know ;) This chapter is a lot more fluffy since I apparently put you all through a roller coaster of emotions last chapter. Next one I'm hoping will be their actual Christmas', with their respective families, which you knowww will be interesting ;) And then the new year brings more drama but no less love.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you all. Enjoy this one, it's the longest chapter I've posted yet, but I felt you guys definitely deserved it x3

Side note, the names chosen for the original characters in this chapter are named after Keegan's real life parents. Although his father passed on March 1st of this year, it felt right for their role here. Also a reference to the picture Keegan posted on instagram of him when he was a kid. Personally, after seeing that picture, I want to bear his children, but maybe that's just me...

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

Waking up in the morning, Toby momentarily forgot where he was. He relaxed as he felt Spencer's breath blowing gently against the exposed skin above the collar of his t-shirt. She was nestled in the crook of his shoulder, hugging his side as she slept soundly.

It didn't matter if he was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, if she was next to him, life was good.

Although he could probably use a trip to the bathroom, Spencer's legs were locked around his left one. He couldn't help but smile. Even in her sleep, she refused to let him go. He was feeling the same way though, especially after all of the events yesterday had brought.

However, Toby's bladder was in disagreement so with a sigh he began untangling her limbs from his.

Spencer's grip only tightened and she opened her eyes to blearily glare at him.

"Itschtooerrlee." she grumbled, burrowing her face back into his shoulder and throwing the covers over her head in protest.

Toby had to chuckle at her adorableness. He really loved watching her wake up. For someone who regularly got up before dawn, she certainly made it hard to believe. The week she had stayed at his place he had to practically drag her out of bed and throw her over his shoulder to get her to move.

"_You_ don't need to get up yet." he reminded her.

"But you're my furnace. I'll freeze without you." she whined and he was sure underneath the blankets she was pouting.

"Maybe you should have brought more than a thin shirt to sleep in then…" he teased as he managed to slide out of the sheets.

Spencer flipped the covers so her face was visible again, aiming an annoyed glare his way. "You weren't complaining about my choice of clothing last night…" she retorted, her body temperature rising as she remembered the way his hands had explored her naked torso underneath the shirt the night before when they were getting carried away.

Toby smirked, indulging in the memories as well. "Oh I'm not complaining. Just making an observation."

Spencer tossed his pillow at him without hesitation, which he easily dodged from his standing position.

He laughed. "Spencer, we nearly broke a lamp last night, let's not tempt fate again, shall we?" he teased.

She harrumphed and buried herself further into the blankets.

Toby excused himself and managed to get the shutters closed on the bathroom before using it to his advantage. Washing up, he figured he should be nice to his girlfriend after all the trouble she went to in making this year one of his most memorable Christmas' ever. And it wasn't even technically Christmas yet.

Returning to the main area of their motel room, he saw Spencer was dressed now, looking adorable as she, well, basically existed. Everything she did was adorable. But she looked _especially_ adorable attempting to fix the bed. She was trying to throw his side of the blankets up to the pillows and although she was stretching to her full extent it wasn't far enough so she was struggling horribly.

Toby tried to hide his smile, but that too failed miserably.

Spencer spotted it and narrowed her eyes at him, blowing upwards to get a strand of hair out of her eyes. "You're so annoying."

"Annoying, yes, but I can also be _helpful_ if you had more patience." he teased.

She groaned as he came around to her side of the bed, snuggling into his chest in a hug as she sleepily leaned her weight against him. "Toby… I haven't had coffee yet… you know how I am…"

He smiled, petting her hair down soothingly as she relaxed into him. He knew that before her caffeine she was prone to crankiness in the early hours. "I know, sweetheart, I'm sorry. How about I take you out for breakfast? I know a place that even makes coffee as strong as you like it."

Spencer immediately brightened up. "Really?"

"Well, I tried it when I was fifteen, so anything seemed pretty strong then. But I'm sure we can work something out. They're supposed to have the best coffee in the city." he explained.

Spencer smiled. "I know how you love your breakfast. If I agree to go and have more than just coffee… can we go somewhere after?"

He looked surprised. "Of course. Where did you have in mind?"

Spencer simply smiled in return, not offering even the smallest of hints, and he was starting to think dating a Hastings meant he was going to spend a lot of time being out of the loop…

* * *

They pulled up to the modest yellow split-level house halfway down the block after their breakfast. Spencer seemed to sense his nerves, since she reached out and squeezed his hand. He flashed her a grateful smile before getting out of the truck. Taking her hand, they headed up the snow-covered driveway.

"I haven't seen them since the funeral." Toby admitted as they treaded carefully on the fallen snow. "My dad changed after my mom died, and with us being a few states away… it just never worked out."

Spencer looped her arm through his and hugged it tight. "They'll just be that much more excited to see you."

"Or they'll wonder where the hell I've been." Toby muttered. "Maybe we shouldn't do this… I don't even know if they still live here…"

"I think their last name on the mailbox was a pretty good hint. Don't worry so much. They love you." she reminded him.

Toby sighed, knowing she was right. Sucking in all of his courage, he knocked purposely on the door.

A woman in her seventies came bustling to the door, her gray and silver hair in a bun with tendrils falling out. She opened the door and screeched, causing both Spencer and Toby to jump.

"Toby?! Is that really you? Or are my blood pressure pills giving me hallucinations again?" she asked, looking skeptical.

Toby laughed. She hadn't changed a bit. "No, Grandma, it's really me."

"Well come inside, the two of you, before you catch a cold!" she ordered. "Phillip, get down here and say hello to your grandson!"

His grandmother took their coats from them, hugging Toby tightly as soon as he was coat-free.

"And who is this beautiful young lady?" she asked, smiling sweetly at Spencer now.

Spencer blushed. She had never met anyone from Toby's past life, besides Jenna, and meeting them as his girlfriend was a whole new territory. She had never even met Wren's parents because they lived in England. Her previous boyfriend before that she hadn't dated long enough to need to meet parental figures.

"I'm Spencer, Toby's girlfriend." Spencer said, reaching out a hand to shake.

"We hug in this family, sweetie. And call me Joanie." Toby's grandmother told her affectionately, enveloping her in a warm hug.

Spencer smiled broadly, happy to be welcomed in such a loving manner. Her family was the complete opposite: the less personal interactions the better.

"Toby! My, you have grown. Last time I saw you you were a foot shorter than me." Toby's grandfather stated, coming into the room and hugging him. "And this is…?"

"Sorry, this is my girlfriend Spencer." Toby introduced.

"Well, son, you sure know how to pick 'em." Phillip said, the skin crinkling around his eyes as he smiled at her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Spencer told him honestly.

He took her hand and placed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. "Pleasure's all mine, honey."

She smiled in return and they moved further into the house, settling in the living room.

"Is this _you_?!" Spencer practically squealed at Toby, seeing the picture of a little boy with bright blue eyes and curly honey-colored hair in one of the frames on the wall.

Toby sighed and turned to his grandparents who were looking amused. "I knew we should've warned you guys we were coming. I would've gotten you to hide all of these."

Spencer sent him an annoyed glare. "Don't be ridiculous. You were the cutest kid I've ever seen. Look how blue your eyes are!"

Toby chuckled at her enthusiasm, his arm around her waist. "Trust me, like any kid I had my moments. When you can't dress yourself or cut your own hair, there's bound to be some trouble spots."

"Well all I can say is thank _god_ you cut your hair since the last time we saw you." Joanie inputted. "Hair practically at his shoulders, this one. Now we can actually see your handsome face."

Spencer was snickering into her hand while Toby rolled his eyes. "Gee thanks, Grandma."

"Like Caleb's hair?" his girlfriend asked, trying to keep a straight face but wrinkling her nose in disapproval.

"Yeah, except mine was thicker and it sort of made me look like a girl." he explained, thinking back to his teenage self. "I was experimenting, trying to find myself or whatever…"

"Hey, when I was a little kid I had a mushroom cut. With my name, you have no idea how many times people thought I was a boy." Spencer teased. "I'd love to see more pictures of you when you were younger."

"You know, the albums are still up in the attic…" Joanie said with a sly grin.

"NO! No, no, no, no, Spencer, no." Toby warned, seeing Spencer's gleeful expression.

"_Toby_…" Spencer whined, tugging on his arm like a child who wanted to go to the playground.

Toby wasn't budging, trying to hide his smile, and turned back to the elderly couple in the room. "So what's new with you guys? I haven't seen you in…"

"Over three _years_. That father of yours…" Joanie began darkly but Phil silenced her by raising his hand slightly.

Toby's eyes softened. "I'm sorry I haven't been to visit. It's not that I didn't want to…"

"No, we understand, son. What _does_ bring you to Baltimore?" his grandfather asked.

"Visiting Mom. I haven't been to see her either since the funeral." Toby explained. Spencer's eyes were on the floor forlornly but she looked up at her name. "Spencer's idea. She knew I needed it, just like I needed to come see you guys."

Both grandparents smiled tenderly at Spencer, which made her face pink again. She wasn't used to older figures looking at her with such affection. _Her _grandparents barely acknowledged her existence.

"We visit her every Sunday. Parents should never outlive their children." Joanie added sadly.

There was a moment of silence between the group as the sad truth sunk in again.

Phillip looked up to peer out the window. "I better get out there and start shoveling that driveway before the temperature drops tonight and it ices over."

Toby immediately stood up. "No, don't worry about it, I can do it."

Spencer felt a glow of pride at how sweet her boyfriend was. He didn't even hesitate to offer, as if it was his plan all along.

"Now Toby, just because you're younger doesn't mean I'm not perfectly capable of shoveling my own driveway." his grandfather argued.

Toby was already heading towards the garage, a taunting grin on his face. "I'll race ya, old man."

Phillip grinned at his grandson. "Oh, you're on!"

"Phil, be careful, you only got that knee replacement two years ago!" Joanie barked after him as the duo literally sprinted away, secretly loving how much of a kid Toby managed to always bring out in her husband. "Those two have always been a pair. I swear I can't get him to move that fast when it comes to cleaning the garage."

Spencer smiled. "I think Toby sort of has that effect on everyone. He brings out the kid in me, which based on my family tree, is pretty hard to do." she added amusedly.

"You're good for him too, sweetheart. I haven't seen him smile like that since long before Leslie was diagnosed." Joanie told her tenderly.

Spencer blushed for the umpteenth time. She wasn't really sure what kind of effect she had on Toby since she hadn't known him for very long. But it was always nice to hear.

"So is there anything I can help you with? Maybe in here?" Spencer offered, not really sure what to do.

"I was planning on making some bread if you wanted to help?" Joanie suggested, leading her to their small country-like kitchen.

"I'd love to. I've never made bread from scratch before." Spencer said enthusiastically as she washed her hands in the sink.

"My dear, you will never buy bread from the store again. It's so simple, just takes some extra time, but is definitely worth it." the older woman reassured her.

As they started working away at the batter, Joanie started her friendly interrogation.

"So how many years have you and Toby been dating?" she asked as Spencer stirred in the flour.

Spencer laughed. "We've only been dating about two months. We met on the first day of school this year."

Joanie looked shocked. "I find that hard to believe. I've never seen two people more in love. You remind me of Phil and myself when we were teenagers. When we were together, it was like no one else was in the room."

Spencer smiled, knowing the feeling. "I love your grandson very much. He's the most amazing man I've ever met. I hope we grow old together." she admitted, but then flushed realizing what she had said, surprising even herself with her words. "God, that's so silly of me to say… we haven't even been together long…"

Joanie shook her head at her, placing a wrinkled hand on her forearm. "Sweetie, sometimes when you meet that person, you just know. I think you two very well could be together for the long haul. He thinks the sun rises and sets with you, that much I'm sure of."

Spencer smiled gratefully at her, but didn't know what else to say so she continued working away at the batter.

"Toby's father was a sweet man once. But sometimes I think he was the one who truly got sick when Leslie did. It killed something inside of him. He never has been the same since. He remarried less than a year after she passed. I know no one wants to be alone… but I try not to feel angry at him for moving on so quickly. I know it killed Toby." Joanie admitted, trying to justify her comment from earlier that her husband had cut off.

Spencer nodded understandingly. "Toby told me much of the same. He and his dad were never as close as he was with his mom, but he too said things were never the same afterwards. It's terrible what loss can do to a person. It either makes you or breaks you. Toby chose the better option; he's a stronger, better person because of it."

"You're a smart girl, you know." Joanie told her light-heartedly. "I'm so glad you brought him here and convinced him to visit us. We've talked on the phone at holidays and such, but it's not the same. He's our only grandson. We're old; there are more people behind us than in front of us now. It would be nice to be reminded of who our legacy is. He's grown up so much since we've seen him."

"He's wonderful. He's so selfless and kind and warm. Despite everything he's been through he's still loving and gentle and honest. He chooses to see the good in people, even when they make it difficult." she explained, thinking of his new relationship with Jenna. "You have every right to be bursting with pride for him. I feel blessed every moment I get with him."

Joanie wiped at her eyes and Spencer was nervous she had said something to bring up bad memories.

But she merely smiled widely at the younger girl. "I'm so happy he has you too, honeybee. Please tell me you guys will stay for dinner?"

Spencer grinned. "I have to now, I want to try our masterpiece." she teased. "Plus how else am I going to get embarrassing stories from Toby's childhood?"

"Oh there will be none of that." her boyfriend's familiar voice came, the men having returned from outside. Toby's cheeks were a little pink from the cold but otherwise he looked just as fantastic as he did before he went out.

Spencer stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to cross the room.

"Don't you start. I know your weak spots." he threatened with a grin.

"Toby, I am making bread. It's a very particular procedure and I will not let you ruin it…" Spencer claimed fake-seriously, pretending to stick her nose in the air snottily.

"Just place the towel over it now, sweetie, and we'll have to wait for it to rise." Joanie instructed.

Spencer followed orders and turned to Toby who stuck his cold fingers on her neck.

Spencer shrieked at him, batting his hands away. "Toby! Put those away!" she shouted, giggling into him despite her words.

He laughed, wrinkling his nose at her. "There's more where that came from."

"Sheesh, did you even wear gloves? Your fingers feel like they're about to fall off." she told him, squeezing them between her hands in an attempt to warm them up.

"Oh, he did. Otherwise I would've sent him straight back inside. Can't tell you how many times I've gotten that lecture…" Phil said affectionately, looking at his wife.

She smiled in return. "Well rightfully so. I hope you didn't overexert yourself." she added reproachfully.

"Toby did all of the shoveling, I just laid out the salt." he promised.

"Good. It's about time to take your pills anyways." Joanie added, reading the clock. "Spencer agreed to stay for dinner so don't give me that look. You and Toby will have plenty of time to catch up."

Toby looked at Spencer who smiled. "So do you want the tour?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded enthusiastically and he took her hand to leave his bickering grandparents to themselves.

"So, you've already seen the living room and kitchen. Bathroom. Pretty self-explanatory." he added amusedly.

Spencer followed him up the carpeted stairs, holding on to the rather rickety wooden railing. It could use a paint touchup and some re-nailing.

"We used to spend every summer here when I was little. My dad would stay for only about a week, as long as a vacation as he could get, and my mom worked from home anyways so she stayed the entire time. I used to love summers here. There's a lake about ten minutes down the road that we used to swim at all of the time. Me and my grandpa put up a tire swing there." Toby reminisced, leading her to different rooms. "My grandparents' bedroom… Another bathroom… The sewing room. My grandma made me a quilt when I was ten… The ladder to the attic pulls down from here… And this is my mom's room."

Inside was a tastefully floral wallpapered room with very simple furniture and accents. Although much more feminine, the style reminded Spencer of Toby's room at the apartment in the sense that it was nothing too fancy. Hers was much more personal though. Pictures from high school prom and awards hanging from pins and different canvas filled with beautiful art on the walls. Spencer realized Toby's artistic talent was genetic. So far she had only seen his architectural sketches, but they were so detailed and precise that it wasn't any wonder that that would translate into his more personal pieces. His vision for woodwork was enough to believe it.

She smiled when she saw the crayon markings on the wall near the closet. Toby chuckled to himself.

"Her height chart. And mine." he added, pointing to the one on the adjacent side of the door. "This place always felt more like home than my other house. It's so weird how long it's been since I've been here."

Spencer felt a tug at her heart looking around the room some more. There were still clothes in the closet, jewelry on the dresser. It was as if a teenage-Leslie would suddenly come bursting in and ask them to shoo. Spencer stepped towards the dresser and flipped open the jewelry box. The ballerina immediately came to life and started dancing to the chinking music. It was obviously very old.

"I used to have a jewelry box just like this. Melissa threw it across the room when she thought I stole her earrings." Spencer said quietly, watching the plastic figurine twirl in one place.

Toby rubbed her lower back. "My mom loved hers. My dad gave it to her for her fourteenth birthday."

Spencer looked up in surprise. "Your parents knew each other when they were kids?"

He nodded. "They were neighbors for years. Best friends. They didn't start dating until halfway through college. My dad moved out of Baltimore when he was sixteen and they ran into each other again in their third year. Shortly after my mom got pregnant with me and a shotgun wedding came around."

Spencer chuckled and pressed her lips beneath his jaw. "Even before you were born you were bringing people together."

He smirked, but didn't reply, watching the ballerina become motionless when the music stopped. "When my mom got sick, we lived here. Stayed in this very room. We were here for three years but she didn't want to change a thing in this room, even though the wallpaper needed replacing and we could've used the closet space better. She loved this old house. My grandparents are getting too old to keep this place running, but I don't think they'll ever give it up until they're gone." he admitted.

Spencer nodded and leaned into him, feeling a lump form in her throat. She couldn't imagine what it had been like for them, losing their daughter to cancer and then losing Toby from their lives at the same time. They seemed like such family-oriented people and it was obvious that Toby had been very close to his grandparents growing up. She was surprised he hadn't come to visit them in so long.

"I was scared to see them after my mom died." Toby murmured, seemingly reading her mind like usual. "I didn't want them to have changed like my dad. It was childish of me but I was stubborn and angry and alone. After Jenna came along, I needed them more than I was willing to admit. But after she tortured me, I was afraid they would see it all over my face. I knew they'd be upset and go after my dad guns blazing. I didn't want that. So I stayed far away. But I shouldn't have. I'm so fortunate that they are still living strong, despite the pharmacy they take every few hours." he added referring to the collection of pills his grandfather had before they had gone upstairs.

"What matters is you're here now and they're more grateful to see you than you can imagine. Nothing's changed. They still love you just as much." Spencer told him seriously, hugging him from the side.

"I know. I don't know how to thank you. You have no idea how much my grandmother appreciates you agreeing for us to stay for dinner. They both love you already." Toby teased, pressing his lips to her hair.

Spencer leaned into him happily, so glad they had warmed up to her so much. They were such wonderful, sweet people.

"You look so happy here." she said wistfully, touching the framed photo of his young self, who she assumed was his mom and a younger version of his grandparents. The picture was taken mid-laugh and even through the lens you could tell how much the group loved one another.

Toby smiled. "I was twelve there. A year before my mom was diagnosed. Mom decided we were going on a road trip that day but we got totally lost and my grandparents had to come find us in their truck." he remembered fondly. "It turns out we were only two miles out of town but just had been going in circles for hours. My mom laughed so hard when she found out that she couldn't stop snorting. It's one of my favorite memories of her." he added and Spencer hugged him tighter when she saw the tears swimming in his eyes.

Toby pulled back to cup her face, brushing his thumbs over her cheeks to collect the tears that had unknowingly fallen. He smiled tenderly at her before leaning down to kiss her softly. Spencer immediately melted into his kiss, her body collapsing against his as she kissed him back. His arms swept around her as her knees buckled and he lifted her to sit on the edge of the dresser, stepping between her legs.

Spencer was surprised when he started kissing her harder, pulling her body tightly to his, his teeth nibbling gently against her bottom lip. Her mind was on last night, but it seemed like that and Jenna was the last thing on his. She opened her mouth to his and moaned slightly when his tongue brushed hers. His fingers dug into her lower back, sliding under her t-shirt and she let her hands get lost in his hair.

Toby suddenly broke away, panting heavily and Spencer finally realized that her lungs were burning for air.

"I'm so sorry." he murmured, catching his breath.

"What for?" she panted.

Toby scratched the back of his neck. "I was getting carried away."

"I liked it." she confessed boldly, trying to kiss him again.

He fended her off gently. "So did I. But we should wait until we're home."

Spencer nodded. This was not the time or place. It was too easy to forget herself when he was around though.

"Thanks for the tour." she told him sweetly, kissing him one last time before hopping off of the dresser and leading the way downstairs.

The elderly couple looked up fondly when they saw the couple was back.

"You have a beautiful home." Spencer told them honestly. It may not be a five star joint, but it was more welcoming and home-like than any place Spencer had ever been and that meant something to her.

"Well thank you, sweet pea." Joanie told her fondly.

"Your railing needs replacing." Toby interjected, obviously concerned. They were older now and a fall on the stairs could be the end of their independence far too easily.

"Well I started a new one… very rough draft so far though." Phil admitted.

Spencer smiled a little. She understood now how he had gotten into carpentry.

"We should work on it together. I want to replace it before I leave."

"Well then take your _time_!" his grandmother called as the men headed towards the garage. "Lord, do I miss having that boy around the house. He's always been such a helpful kid. We have so many odds and ends around the house that he could be a great help to. I'd never ask him to do them, but with Toby, there's no need for asking."

Spencer smiled. "He's one of a kind."

Joanie peeked under the towel. "This bread still needs some time. You can help me start dinner?"

Spencer nodded. "Of course. What can I do?"

After receiving instructions, Spencer began chopping while having light-hearted conversation with Toby's grandmother about where she grew up and what she was studying. She told her all about her and Toby's friends and the fun they had.

"So how did he win your heart? In what moment did you just know you were crazy about him?" Joanie asked enthusiastically, sounding much more like a teenager than herself.

Spencer laughed. "Well, I lived in denial for a while. I was in a serious relationship when I met Toby. But right from the get-go I knew he was something special. He took me to the beach the first time we really hung-out and even though I'm super anal about school work and had wanted to get started on our assignment, I would've spent that entire day playing in the sand with him. He tried to throw me in the water at one point, which didn't end well for him." she added amusedly in explanation, causing the older woman to laugh.

"But I'm not sure when exactly it was. He just _gets _me and he always knows exactly what to say. He's so sweet and protective and kind-hearted. He's the most thoughtful person I've ever met. He remembers these tiny details about my life that_ I_ don't even remember and he'll just do anything to make somebody smile. He's the only person I've known to ever be able to turn my mood around in an instant. He's impossible not to love."

Joanie smiled. "He's always been such a good boy. A heart of gold that he wears on his sleeve that one. He always kept Leslie smiling throughout even the darkest times. He was her rock. They had such a special connection. As hard as it was for us to lose her, it was almost harder to watch Toby lose her."

Spencer nodded, feeling her throat close. She was really glad they had come there. She was learning so much about him that Toby probably hadn't even realized about himself. Spencer realized she loved hearing people talk about Toby, especially people who knew him so well and loved him whole-heartedly.

"Next we've got to add the peppers." Joanie said, taking Spencer's cutting board from her to deposit the chopped onions into the pot.

Spencer pulled herself out of her own head and nodded, rinsing the red pepper under the tap.

"Trying to show me up in my own house, boy. You've already got her; there's no need to keep trying to impress her." Phil's voice came, Toby's laugh following.

"Grandpa, I'm not doing this for Spencer. I just have had a lot more practice since I was fourteen." Toby explained.

They came through the kitchen and waved towards the women. Spencer raised an eyebrow at him. He was carrying beautifully carved new poles and the top handle for the railing. They were as detailed as fancy chess pieces with the ending pole being much thicker and more intricate. It would be beautiful when they put it together.

He smiled sheepishly. "Grandpa did most of the work. I just carved it to fit better and add a little something."

"Toby, it's gorgeous." his grandmother cried happily, loving the detailing and planting a happy kiss on his cheek. "I don't know why you're even going to school."

Toby smirked. "In this day and age, no one even looks at you unless you have a degree under your belt. Trust me, I'd love to get right to it. But going to school has its perks." he added, his eyes flickering to Spencer who smiled coyly.

Phil led Toby over to the stairs and started ripping up the old ones. Toby was giving directions, his voice a low hum from the kitchen. Spencer had never actually seen Toby wearing a tool belt. Seeing him start working away through the open arch of the kitchen, dishing out directions and being so authoritative and professional, was sort of a turn on for her. She continued chopping but her eyes kept sweeping over to her boyfriend, biting her lip as she tried not to smile at the sight. She could very much get used to having a handy man around the house…

"I think those are chopped finely enough, sweet pea." Joanie said knowingly and Spencer jumped.

"Right. Sorry." she stammered, scraping them into the pot.

Joanie leaned against the counter, smirking a little. "When I first saw Phil donned in one of those, I nearly took him by the hand right up to the bedroom. Trust me, I know why you're distracted. There's no shame in appreciating your man."

Spencer blushed a deep red, giggling through the awkwardness. "I'm not used to feeling so… out of control around a guy. He keeps shocking my system."

She didn't know why she was confiding in his _grandmother_ of all people, but she couldn't help herself. Her girls were a state away and she couldn't exactly tell Toby about her craving to slam him on the kitchen table and make love to him right then.

"It's called love, sweetheart. It comes in all kinds of forms." Joanie said amusedly. "Next we have to chop up the rest of the portabellas…"

Spencer nodded but kept glancing back to Toby. She felt the heat rise all up her neck as she saw him flexing to hold a piece in place, the hardness of his muscles easily visible through his thin t-shirt, reminding her just how gorgeous he really was.

She turned purposely away. She had to get a hold of herself. Spencer chanced one last glance back before setting to work on her task.

After a dinner of Wild Mushroom Soup and homemade bread, it started getting dark fairly quickly as expected in the winter months. They had after-dinner coffee and Spencer got to hear plenty of stories from the good old days. She couldn't stop smiling, loving seeing how happy Toby was to be there. His laughter was coming straight from the depths of his belly as his grandparents teased him of his silly adventures when he was a little boy.

Finally, it was dark and although Joanie tried to convince them to stay another night, they knew they had to get back to Pennsylvania.

"You better come back soon, boy." Phil told him seriously as they hugged goodbye.

Joanie was squeezing Spencer extra tight. "And bring this lovely lady again. I've got all sorts of recipes to teach you, missy, and I want to hear more stories about my grandson that I know he'll skip over himself."

Toby rolled his eyes as they switched hugging partners. "Of course, Grandma. I'll try to come up before the summer but definitely by then. I'm sure there will be tons of projects for me to work on when I do."

"Now you know I keep this place running." Phil told him, wagging his finger at him disapprovingly.

Toby grinned. "I know, Grandpa. But I like reliving the old days when you taught me everything you knew."

Phil beamed with pride at that. "That's right. He wouldn't be whittling fancy banisters if I hadn't taught him how ten years ago."

Toby chuckled, waving them off. "Merry Christmas you guys. We'll see you again soon."

Spencer leaned into his shoulder as they made their way down the cleared driveway. He assisted her into the truck and went around to his side, rubbing his hands together after he started it up.

"I knew I should've come out here a few minutes ago to warm this thing up." Toby muttered to himself.

"It's fine. I brought a blanket." Spencer told him, digging it out of the duffel bag at her feet.

"You really come prepared don't you." Toby said amusedly.

"Well, it's winter. You should always have a blanket in your truck. Safety, you know." she teased, wrapping it around both of them and using it as an excuse to huddle closer to him.

Toby leaned comfortably back, holding her securely to his side. "I can't thank you enough for this, Spence. You're really more amazing than I gave you credit for."

Spencer felt that warm and fuzzy feeling consume her whole body as she grinned happily at his words. "I could say the same about you. I loved learning more about you. I know some of the darker stuff that's happened to you, but it's nice to hear about the light-hearted stuff too."

He nodded understandingly. "I hope you can return the favor one day. I know I'm not exactly going to be welcomed into your home any time soon… and your family is not like mine… but I want to know those things about you too. I want to know _everything_ there is to know about you, Spencer Hastings." he told her sweetly, kissing her forehead.

The truck finally heated up enough to move so he unwrapped himself from the blanket and gently pushed her closer to her side so she could buckle up properly.

As they pulled away from the curb and set off down the road, Spencer found her eyes drawn to her boyfriend rather than the passing scenery. She hadn't thought it was possible to love him more than she already did but after learning everything about him today, she was really starting to believe that her love for him was limitless.


	9. Chapter 9

If I could find each and every one of you and apologize to you personally, I would. I am SO sorry for the delay between updates.

Life has been pretty busy and chaotic the past couple weeks and my muse had ran away and abandoned me in a ditch. Now that I've got my health, school work, new job, regular life crap squared away, I should be able to get back to more regular updates! I'm sorry if they're not daily, but I'm a full time college student juggling soon-to-be two part-time jobs. Add to that family and friends and sleep, my time is a little limited.

But as always, I love you guys to pieces and this extra long chapter is just a piece of the HUGE apology I owe you guys for being so patient.

This chapter: sort of all over the place. The things I write play out in my head like a movie so apologies if the scene changes seem a little choppy. I wanted to give each scene its appropriate amount of time and I really didn't want to split this between two chapters. This is the Christmas chapter (my fav holiday) so I wanted to do it as a single entity. There is an emotional part in this chapter that I felt was necessary and I've sort of been plannnnning for a while, so I hope I did it justice. I suggest listening to "Things that matter, things that don't" by Rascal Flatts while you do. It's the basis behind what I was trying to portray there.

The new year is coming up for them, and that will bring more of the chaos and drama Rosewood has to offer ;) But don't forget loves, true love conquers all.

Your reviews have been amazing. Can't thank you all enough for everything! You're the very best.

This chapter is dedicated to my lovely soulsister, Ana, who never ceases to be amazing; also, to Siretha and Katie for being such loyal and dedicated fans to this story. I really hope this was worth the wait.

PS New Troigan will be posted hopefully by tomorrow, if not later tonight. May not be in my one-shot series, but WILL be our fav imaginary couple ;)

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

"You know what, I think I'll just stay here!" Spencer told her boyfriend assuredly, forcing a smile. "See you in a couple days!"

It was a few days after they had returned from Baltimore and frankly Spencer was wondering why they had even bothered to leave. She would much rather be there for the holiday than back in Rosewood.

Toby laughed as he turned off the ignition. "Spencer… it's Christmas Eve. It's going to be minus ten tonight. I won't let you catch cold out here and I can assure you you don't want to join me at my place. Your mom said they were looking forward to seeing you so obviously all is forgiven."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "I doubt that. They probably have salt lining the doors…"

Toby couldn't help cracking up. "I don't think so; they know _I'm_ not coming." he teased, causing her to shoot him a you're-not-helping look.

He turned towards her and squeezed her shoulders comfortingly.

"Spence, they do not think you're a demon. They love you. They're your family. It's Christmas, a time to bring people together." he said supportively. "Maybe you and Melissa can-"

"Rip out each other's throats? Because I can tell you that's all _I_ want for Christmas…" she huffed irritably.

"Spencer…" Toby drawled patiently.

She sighed. She hated when he was right. Well, more so when _she_ was wrong. But it was being a Hastings that made her struggle with that concept, which only made her all the more sure that what he had been arguing was right. They were her family and she was going to have to face them sooner or later.

"Fine." she muttered.

"Atta girl." Toby said proudly, tipping her chin up so he could place a tender kiss to her mouth. "Best of luck. If you _do_ need an escape, you know where to find me. I can be here in an instant."

Spencer smiled finally and pressed her lips to his again. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Tomorrow. Merry Christmas, Spence. I'll call you later."

"Yes please." she murmured coyly, smiling lovingly at him and causing him to blink an extra few times to make sure she really was real. She was far too adorable.

She hopped out of the truck and went around to his side to kiss him goodbye one last time. "Merry Christmas, Toby. Best of luck to you too."

He grimaced at the thought of spending the holiday back with his family, but he was thankful that he and Jenna were in a much better place than they were the last time they had been in that house together. He smiled gratefully at her and bid her a final goodbye.

Toby pulled out of the Hastings' driveway and Spencer took a deep breath as she headed towards the house she had grown up in, wondering what whirlwind was waiting for her.

* * *

Spencer was still stunned. She sat in the living room of the house that looked the same as it always had, minus the addition of some Christmas decorations, and stared back at her sister.

"You…what?" she asked disbelievingly, rubbing her temples in an attempt to clear her head from the confused throbbing it had undergone upon Melissa's confession.

Melissa grimaced. "I told them… everything."

Spencer had entered the house earlier that afternoon, surprised at the immediate warmth and affection that her parents showcased upon realizing their youngest daughter had arrived. Considering the last time she had left she had called out both her father and sister for being cheaters and left with her knight in shining armor. Her father had kicked Toby out and only stopped shouting when her speech stunned him.

All in all it was a pretty chaotic Thanksgiving and the last thing she expected was to be hugged by both of her parents who were beaming at her like she had just brought home three degrees and had a wing of a university dedicated to her name. Her mother fussed over how beautiful she looked and her father was listing off all of the things they had to do as a father-daughter pair before she left for Philly the next day.

Safe to say she had been stunned, but this recent reveal was only driving that feeling further home.

"When you say everything…" Spencer said slowly, trying to piece together how she could've been sucked into a parallel universe, and attempting to think of a game plan on how to get herself out.

"I mean… I told them that me and Wren… made some poor decisions one night." she said, flushing. "Look Spencer, you have every reason to hate me. I know things between us haven't been good for a long time. But this is me, trying to reach out with an olive branch. I… I honestly had no idea that you and Wren were still together when we ran into each other that night. I figured he was coming to me because you broke up with him…"

"So you decided to skip asking and just sleep with him?" Spencer asked irritably, the hurt from that breakup still not completely erased. Wren had slept with Melissa, _Melissa _of all people, while still dating her.

She shook her head. "Spencer, you didn't see how broken up he was. It was the only explanation that things were over between you… if I had've known, I wouldn't have done it. I may be a bitch, but I wouldn't ever do that to someone, especially you."

"Why not? Wren broke up with you to be with me. I figured you were doing it for revenge, so you and Mom and Dad could laugh at my failures. For the fact that I believed Wren really loved me and that I could even compete with you."

Melissa let out an exasperated sound, looking up with an annoyed glint in her eye. "Spencer, for god sakes, Wren DID love you. _Far_ more than he loved me. I know he was bad at showing it, but there was a reason he chose you over me long ago. That hasn't changed no matter what happened between us as of late. But how can you even say that? Everybody loves you. You have three amazing best friends and now this incredible boyfriend…"

Spencer rolled her eyes. "You don't even know Toby. He's- wait, you said incredible?" she asked, surprised, figuring she must have heard wrong. She immediately was on the defensive but she hadn't realized that Melissa actually had the capability of complimenting Toby.

Melissa let out a mirthless laugh. "Of course I did! Spence, do you really think I've ever had a guy stand up for me like that? He jumped right in there, with _our _parents, with nothing but defending your honor on his mind. And he didn't even back down, no matter how scary Dad was being. And the way he talked about you…"

She trailed off and Spencer for the first time felt sort of bad for Melissa. It was true that Toby's actions had been superb and she knew she was incredibly blessed; but she felt a small pang that her sister hadn't had much luck in that department, especially since Wren. It wasn't really fair that Spencer had someone when the last boyfriend Melissa had Spencer had stolen from her.

Melissa continued fiercely, wanting her sister to really hear her words this time. "Spencer, I don't think anyone has ever felt that way about me. Toby seems like such a stand-up guy. I know this family makes it hard to not have a checklist when it comes to committing to someone, but even our parents agree, after everything, that Toby is a really good man. We all want you to be happy and to have someone who knows how lucky he is. Toby, calling me out the way he did, in such a manner that it was obvious that he was implying something happened but not throwing me completely to the sharks unarmed, was further proof that he only had good intentions in mind. Dad really regrets what went down Thanksgiving, especially now that he knows the full truth of why Toby had said what he did."

"They haven't said anything of the sort to me." Spencer said, leaning her mouth on her hands, elbows on her knees, as she tried to wrap her head around this craziness.

Melissa laughed. "Have you forgotten our parents? When they're in the wrong, especially Dad, it's all about the sucking up and buying your love back. They don't know how to admit that they're wrong and have made a mistake. They'd rather pretend it just never happened."

Spencer had to agree with that. Since she had arrived her parents had been doting on her like a fangirl assistant over their favorite celebrity.

"I still can't believe you told them." Spencer blurted out, not really able to form articulate sentences.

Melissa grimaced. "It wasn't easy. But the way you called me and dad out, finally stood up to us, and the truth of what I had truly done gave me the courage to do the right thing. The truth is Spence, I haven't been happy for a long time. Even when with Wren, I wasn't happy. I was just so bitter over that that when things between us blew up and then he immediately was after you, I blamed you for my unhappiness. But that wasn't fair." she told her seriously. "But in order for me to move forward, I need to suck all the poison out of my life. I can't be happy until I start trying to forgive myself for being imperfect and stop trying so hard to be otherwise. I need to focus on being happy, on my own, before worrying about social standing and grade point averages."

Spencer had to smile at that. She was glad her sister had come to that conclusion. Personally, Toby had helped her reach that same conclusion when he had come into her life. Being a perfectionist would always be a part of her personality, but at least it wasn't as devastating when she couldn't succeed in being flawless at everything.

"I'm happy for you, Melissa. And thank you, for telling them. It means a lot. I know how much you risked doing so."

"It was worth it." she said, squeezing her younger sister's hand. "I'm happy you're happy too. Toby obviously is good for you."

Spencer couldn't help but smile at the mention of her boyfriend. "Yeah, he's something special." she practically sighed breathlessly.

Melissa giggled at her sister's dreamy expression. "Since we didn't get a chance before, how about you tell me all about him while we rearrange these Christmas decorations? I swear Mom and Dad are hopeless when it comes to tree design…"

Spencer laughed and leaped to her feet to join her big sis in fixing the misshapen tree. It had been a while since she had been able to laugh with Melissa, but she had to admit she had missed it.

* * *

Toby stared at his old room, which now served as a half-gym/half-storage room, leaning against the door-frame. The elliptical and weights were in the corner and the rest of the junk was piled along the other wall in a disheveled mess.

The young man was lost in thought, wondering how much longer he could keep up his fake smiles and small talk conversations. Jenna must have been wrong. His dad hadn't changed a bit from the last time he had seen him; he was still quiet, withdrawn and barely acknowledging his son's presence besides the odd nod in his direction.

"Penny for your thoughts?" a familiar voice came and he turned to see Jenna's green eyes staring sympathetically back at him.

He smiled a little wistfully. "Don't worry about it."

As much as the pair had had their… _differences_… she had gotten to know him quite well over their few years knowing each other. She understood that he wasn't happy to be there and that this time it wasn't because of _her _but the older man sharing blood with him.

Which is why she had done what she had just done.

"Toby, there's something you should know. Can we talk? In the living room? I want to give you your present." she murmured, placing a gentle hand on his forearm.

Toby was grateful she understood that, although he had been very generous in his attitude towards her over the last few years, he still was not comfortable being in a room with a lock with her. He needed open space to feel comfortable.

He nodded and followed her out to where the Christmas tree was lit up. He was surprised that their parents weren't out there sipping wine like they had been earlier.

"Where are our parents?" he asked in confusion.

Jenna smiled patiently. "They had some things they wanted to discuss in private. Ready for your awesome present?"

Toby smirked. "That confident in your gift-giving skills?"

She shrugged. "It's not much, but I think you'll like it." She stood up and dragged a canvas out from behind the chair.

He hadn't noticed it there earlier. Nervously, she turned it around so the art she made was facing him.

Toby stared in wonder at first, but his face broke out into a broad smile as he touched the perfected brush strokes. It was a beautiful painting of a motorcycle; a close-up view on the front tire, as if the picture was an upward angled snapshot taken from someone lying on the pavement. All of the springs and gears and parts were so intricately done to complete accuracy and he was, not for the first time, in awe of Jenna's artistic talent. She had always had such vision.

"It's… it's gorgeous. I love it. Thank you, Jenna." he told her honestly, holding it in front of him to appraise it further.

The smallest of crimson dusted her cheeks. "I'm glad you like it. I thought the loft could probably use some décor. You can't have bare walls everywhere." she explained amusedly, remembering his room at their shared apartment.

He pulled her into a genuine hug without hesitation. "I know just where to put it. Thank you."

He placed it gently against the chair so it was still facing forwards and turned back to her.

Seeing his expectant face, she looked confused. Toby scoffed. "Pretty sure you know how this Christmas thing works. Go find yours. It's only fair you open mine to you now."

Jenna rolled her emerald eyes and sifted through the small pile at the bottom of their artificial tree.

The sight of the fake tree was a small hit to his heart. His mom had always loved real trees and they had gotten one every year since he was born. After his mom passed, his dad was suddenly Mr. Artificial-Tree-Enthusiast. It made Christmas feel even more foreign, especially since they had adopted a new family their second Christmas after her death. He missed the Christmas tree smell lingering in the house.

Jenna pulled out the intricately wrapped box, bringing it into her lap as she sat next to him on the sofa. She shot him a coy smile before curiously untying the ribbons and tearing open the paper.

"I feel bad opening it when it looks so pretty." she teased him, causing him to chuckle.

"I'm just sort of OCD about wrapping presents." he explained sheepishly as she finally managed to free the cardboard box from its coverings and popped open the lid.

Her eyes went wide as she carefully unearthed the snow globe that had a single horse on a carousal bar, mid-run, intricate details on both the base and the figurine inside.

"Toby…" she breathed, her eyes filling with tears.

He reached out and squeezed her hand. "I saw it and it reminded me of the one you told me about. The one you lost in the fire."

She nodded, stroking the glass lovingly.

Jenna, her mom and her dad had been in a fire when she was nine years old. It was at Christmas time; her parents had gone to sleep and forgotten to shut off the Christmas tree. Fate would have it that the wiring was faulty and their house was up in flames before they had managed to be woken up by the billowing smoke pouring into their rooms.

One of the gifts Jenna had received, her very favorite gift, was a beautiful carousal horse snow globe from her father. They had taken a family trip to an amusement park the summer before and little Jenna had spent ninety percent of her day on that one ride. She had told her parents she wanted a carousel horse for Christmas.

Unfortunately, with the chaos of the fire, the snow globe had been destroyed. They had all managed to get out of the fire, but her father had gone back inside the house before the fire fighters arrived to save Jenna, who hadn't been woken by the fire yet.

Although they had made it out safely, her father had died of smoke inhalation at the hospital.

Toby wasn't sure what it was, maybe being in love, that made him want to make this the best Christmas possible. After everything he and his step-sister had been through, he knew this was the right time to make this gesture. The gift was thoughtful, but also to the point where it showed how well they knew each other. That's what he wanted to remember, not the hardships of the past.

They were in a good place and he had come to accept that she was a part of his family now. No family was perfect.

Jenna threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Thankfully, Toby had sort of been expecting something of the sort so he merely wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

"It's so beautiful. Thank you so much." she cried, laughing slightly at her embarrassing showcase of emotions. She wiped her dewy eyes and placed the present on the side table next to her.

She swiveled back to Toby, taking his hands in hers. "Now for what I was going to tell you."

Toby had momentarily forgotten that she had originally dragged him out there to share something with him.

"I know things haven't always been the best between us, but this, just now, was only further proof of why I needed to do this now. I am so happy that you and I have managed to get to this place after everything that's happened."

Toby was listening carefully, wondering where she was going with this.

Losing a bit of that fierce determination, she looked down in bashfulness. "I know your relationship with your dad and even my mom has been strained since… that incident. I know things have been different between you since your mom died, but I also know that I haven't helped you guys bridge that gap at all. And I'm sorry for that."

"Jenna, it's not your fault." he promised, placing his hand over hers reassuringly. As much as he'd love to blame Jenna, the awkward silences had started long before she had come and convinced their parents Toby had been forcing himself on her.

"Let me finish." she soothed, smiling slightly at his attempt to omit her from her wrongs. "I was wrong, on so many levels, for what I did to you. I take full responsibility… which is why, finally, after all of these years… I took that responsibility to the next level."

Toby was confused. "What does that mean?"

She smiled and he could finally see the pain in her eyes. "I told our parents, Toby. I told them that I had lied back then, that you had never touched me in any inappropriate way, that you were innocent."

Toby was speechless. He couldn't believe his ears. It was like he had just gotten whiplash. Was this really happening?

She continued. "I didn't tell them the full details of what happened… I just… I'm sorry. I wasn't brave enough for that." She looked down in shame.

Toby shook his head, trying to get his brain to function again. "No, Jenna, they don't need to know about all of that. I just… what…"

She smiled a little and gained enough courage to look him in the face. "Because Christmas is about doing things for the people you love. And both you and your dad are my family now. I want you guys to work things out. That was never going to happen with that hanging over your heads."

"I don't even know what to say."

"Say… 'you're excused'… because it looks like it's my time to bow out." she said suddenly and Toby looked up in confusion to see their parents in the kitchen doorway, staring at Toby in an unnerving way.

If it hadn't been for the pain in their eyes over their past mistakes and judgments, Toby would've been positively scared by the attention. He would've cowered and slunk away like he used to whenever they shot evil warning looks in his direction when he accidentally came too close to his step-sister.

But now they were silently begging for forgiveness. Toby looked down. Even though he had no reason to, he felt ashamed. All those insecure days came rushing back like a tidal wave, washing over him and drenching him to the bone with the painful memories of being an outsider in his own home. Even though it hadn't been his idea, he was ashamed he had let them believe the lie for so long, though they hadn't really given him a choice.

Jenna's mom understood the situation and approached him. Toby automatically stood, waiting for the shouts of irritation at lying, or at least going along with a lie, but was greeted with an affectionate hug. He awkwardly lifted his arms to return the gesture.

"I'm so sorry, Toby. Please forgive us." she murmured before releasing him and leaving the room to speak with her daughter and give the father and son some privacy.

The distance between Toby and his father was merely a few feet, but, in this moment, it felt like opposing sides of a canyon.

The atmosphere in the room had changed. The silence was suffocating. The crooning of Christmas melodies in the background had ironically ended minutes before, which only made the quiet more deafening. Toby's eyes hadn't lifted from the floor since he had discovered the presence of his parents, but now he chanced the smallest of glances.

His father, taking his glance as a sign of encouragement, stepped forward slowly, his palms raised in unconscious surrender.

Toby bit his lip, crossing his arms and pulling a stubborn stance out. He couldn't help himself. He had been alone for too long.

"Toby…" his father said quietly, and the younger man was surprised to hear his voice shake. "I…"

Toby looked to the floor again. The floor was safe. The aged wood didn't have tears in it. It didn't look like a ghost of the father Toby once knew, the one that actually cared.

"I'm sorry." his father murmured and his voice broke on the last word.

That was all it took. Toby felt the last three years catch up with him and hit him square in the face. He looked up to meet his dad's stormy blue eyes. _His _eyes, he realized. He had inherited them from someone and that man was staring back at him with the same apologies flowing through the irises.

"Me too." Toby whispered brokenly, and felt the tears break through the dam.

In the most shocking moment in the entire evening, Toby's dad had strode across the room and pulled him roughly into a tight hug, burying his own tears in his son's shoulder.

Toby wished he could hold it together but he was done for. It was all too much for too long.

He gripped the back of his dad's shirt in his fist, the sobs beginning to slip out. This is what he had wanted for years now. Ever since his mom had died, his father had barely touched him. At the funeral, he had briefly squeezed around his shoulder before releasing him to shake hands of gratitude for the condolences with the rest of the attendees. Since then, he hadn't even offered him a pat on the back.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." his father kept repeating and it only increased the younger man's tears.

"I know." he whispered back. "It's okay."

But that made his father pull back, shaking his head. He left his hands on the boy's strong shoulders. "No, it's not." he said seriously. "Ever since your mom died, I've been lost. I've barely been living. And I've neglected you. I've led you to feel like you can't come to me… that I've chosen Jenna and her mom over you. I never wanted that. I never…" he trailed off, overcome with emotions. He wished he could tell his son what he had been realizing since Toby had moved out. He missed him. He missed the way things used to be, and a part of him never believed Jenna's lies. But he was backed into a corner.

He corrected his throat. "I should've stood by you, always. You are my _son_. I… I should've known you never would've done that. You've always been a gentle kid. There's so much Leslie in you…" he trailed off again.

Toby was surprised. He hadn't heard him utter his wife's name in years.

"Look Toby, I know I've been distant for a long time. It hurt for a while to even look at you because all I saw was her. But then being distant became easier and I pushed you away when you needed me most. I'll never forgive myself for that. Seeing the way you are with Jenna, despite everything that happened between you and this family, I can't even voice how proud it makes me of you. I wish I had been a part of forming you into this wonderful man you've become."

Toby had to look at the floor again. "You are. You're my dad, I only have one." he murmured softly.

His dad pulled him into another hug, quicker this time. "God, Toby, I'm so sorry. I love you. Please let me fix this."

Toby could only nod, knowing if he let his sobs out now he would never stop.

His dad corrected his throat nonchalantly. "Well, we better see where the women ran off to." he suggested, desperately needing to break the emotional mood.

Toby laughed a little, because it was the only way not to break down again, and both men sort of grinned at each other for the first time in over nine hundred days.

His dad was obviously feeling the same way since he clapped his son on the shoulder and squeezed affectionately, leading the way to find his wife and step-daughter.

* * *

"And then he told Kate that she had back fat! _BACK FAT_! It was the best thing I've ever seen!" Hanna exclaimed giddily, squeezing her mug of white hot chocolate in excitement. Caleb had come home with her for the holidays and she had been all too enthusiastic when his dislike for Kate mirrored her own.

Spencer chuckled with the other girls. She was really happy that Hanna and Caleb had worked through their issues and were going strong again. It was obvious that Caleb was good for her and she had a feeling that concept was mutually exclusive.

The Apple Rose Grille, the go-to spot when they were all still living in Rosewood, was the same as always, with a little more festive cheer to it. Every Christmas Eve the four best friends would meet up for hot chocolate or, as they got older, coffee, and exchange gifts or merely each other's company. It had become a tradition that their families had accepted it long ago. This year was no exception. Christmas Day was for pure family time, but Christmas Eve was the time to spend with their _chosen_ family.

"So I take it Kate's still as much of a nightmare as she was before?" Emily asked the blonde, tipping back a little more of her apple cinnamon cider as she smiled amusedly at her friend.

Hanna nodded vigorously. "Ugh, definitely. I don't know why my dad insists on spending Christmas Eve together. It's just to make him feel like more of a father figure. But my mom and Isabel are so uncomfortable together as expected and me and Kate don't get along _at all_ obviously."

"How does your mom like Caleb?" Aria asked, swirling her latte with the plastic stir-stick, knowing that going from the Reverend's son to Caleb was… quite the contrast.

Hanna grinned. "I think she was a little uneasy about him at first… but after that jab at Kate, I saw her smiling. I think she's warmed up to him. He can be a lot like me, and she knows he makes me happy, so I'm not worried."

"Where IS Caleb right now? Is he just waiting at your house?" Emily inquired, realizing that Caleb staying over at her place meant he didn't really have anywhere else to go.

Hanna smirked. "No, he and Toby are probably off making out somewhere."

Spencer threw the nearest thing at Hanna as Aria and Hanna laughed. It was a napkin, so it merely floated back tauntingly about an inch ahead from its place before.

"Well _what_, their bromance is undeniable." Hanna countered, sticking her tongue out at Spencer, who was laughing with the others.

Aria shook her head. "I don't know if they can compete with Toby and Ezra. Last week Ezra literally _hung up on me_ because Toby was calling him. When I chewed him out about it he got all defensive and said in a voice equivalent to a scolded child that he 'just got so excited that Toby was calling he didn't even think about it.' I mean, _really_?!" she said exasperatedly, but obviously wasn't too bothered since she was cracking up with the others.

"Ezra and Toby do kind of have the bromance thing on lock." Spencer agreed fondly, thinking of the best friends. "BUT Caleb and Toby have history."

"Ha! Exactly!" Hanna exclaimed triumphantly, causing Aria to roll her eyes.

"Now that we've had _that _debate… how's Maya, Em?" Aria asked the dark-skinned brunette.

She smiled. "Good. She's at her parents' new place in Redford up in Bucks County, so she's not too far away. I'll be heading up there for Boxing Day. Her family always has a big party."

"Aww that sounds fun. Ezra's in New York for Christmas. He gets so weird about his family that I didn't get much out of him on what they're doing." Aria admitted.

"Well at least he has family. Caleb was going to spend his alone until I dragged him to my place." Hanna interjected. Easily distracted, with the attention span of a five year old, she swerved to Spencer. "Is Toby spending Christmas with Jenna?"

She grimaced. "_Oh_ yeah. And her mom and his dad. He's _really_ been looking forward to it…" she said sarcastically, remembering his facial expression before he left the day before.

She felt bad. She knew Toby wasn't close to anyone in that house and that it felt more like a punishment to go there for Christmas. But Toby knew that although he had gotten out of Thanksgiving, Christmas was pushing it. Plus Spencer wasn't oblivious to the fact that Toby was curious on whether Jenna had been telling the truth about his dad missing him at Thanksgiving and realizing what he had done since he had remarried.

Spencer subtly checked her phone, making sure Toby hadn't tried to call her yet. She didn't want to miss it. Foolishly, she already missed him. He had a way of making her feel better when she already felt good. When they were apart, even close by, she still felt a sense of longing in her heart to be closer.

"Earth to Spence; come back in, Spence." Emily teased, imitating a static-y walkie-talkie.

Spencer jerked herself out of her daydreams of Toby's arms wrapping around her. Even sleeping separately had become difficult for her since they had got together.

"I'm sorry, what?" she said sheepishly, blushing. She wasn't normally caught off-guard and she felt embarrassed for where her mind had wandered. She also felt a little guilty. She only got so much time with these girls; she saw Toby almost daily.

"You have it as bad as Ezra." Aria teased, dodging Spencer's playful swipe.

Spencer was still a little pink but chose to ignore their laughs at her expense and took a deep drink of her coffee. It didn't matter that it was eight o'clock at night- she could drink coffee at any time.

"Speak of the devil…" Emily commented, nodding towards the door.

Toby and Caleb entered the restaurant, laughing together and obviously agreeing about something since they butted fists like typical guys.

Caleb was the first to spot the table and his eyes immediately focused on the blonde.

"Well, well, what do we have here…" he teased with his trademark smirk, sauntering over and letting his hands run down her bare arms, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the back of her neck, her updo-ed curls tickling his cheeks.

Not used to PDA and feeling a shiver shimmy up her spine at the light touch, Hanna slapped his hands away. "Where are your manners? No one said you could come sit with us. This is a girls only zone."

But Caleb dragged the chair at the nearest empty table over and sat backwards on it, so his chin rested on his hands over the back frame, just to spite her. She huffed in annoyance as he grinned at her.

Spencer wasn't even paying attention- she was too busy smiling tenderly at her boyfriend. Toby had pulled a chair over and immediately interlocked her fingers with his, pressing an affectionate kiss to her knuckles before letting their joined hands rest between them.

She was really happy to see him. It was funny because she had just been thinking about him; it was almost like she had summoned him there telepathically.

"So boys, how was your night?" Aria asked conversationally, amused by the difference between the two couples. Hanna and Caleb were having intense eye-sex and Toby and Spencer looked like they were about to say their vows. Both pairs looked hopelessly in love underneath it all.

"We're _men_, Aria…" Caleb corrected fake-patronizingly, causing her to roll her eyes with a giggle.

Toby smacked him upside the back of the head, causing Hanna of all people to squeal gleefully, glad someone had the guts to show her boyfriend who was boss. Caleb shot her a dirty look and she countered it with her usual seductive stare.

"It was a decent night." Toby answered, ignoring the intense staring match between the other couple.

"How's Jenna The Jerk?" Hanna asked, breaking her gaze with Caleb.

"Hanna…." Spencer said reproachfully.

"What? I slap her and you practically give me a trophy but I call her some lame nickname and you're suddenly Severus Snape…"

Spencer rolled her eyes but Toby laughed with the others, breaking up the pseudo-argument. "Jenna is just fine. We're oddly getting along pretty well these days. It's only gotten easier since I've moved out."

"How was seeing the rest of your family?" Spencer asked quietly as the others got engaged in a recap of that night of the club, courtesy of the overly enthusiastic Caleb.

Toby smiled. "Oddly good. My dad…"

Spencer understood by the look in his eyes. Something major had shifted in their relationship, in a good way. She broke into a big smile. "No way! Toby, I'm so happy for you. So did he-"

Toby nodded. "Yeah, for everything. I have Jenna to thank for it."

"Wait, did she come clean?" Spencer gasped. "That's incredible! Melissa too."

It was Toby's turn to look flabbergasted. "What, that's crazy! About everything?"

She nodded quickly. "Turns out you were right- she had no idea the full effects. It's still awkward but…."

Toby had that impression when he had seen how upset Melissa had gotten at Thanksgiving when Spencer called her out in front of their parents. Spencer had assumed she was just upset for the calling out, but Toby had a feeling based on then and when she had first entered the house that her guilt had manifested in a different way. She knew they knew what happened though, but the shock on her face alluded that she hadn't known Wren and Spencer hadn't been broken up at that point.

"You're sisters, you'll work things out. That's amazing, Spence. Dad's going to go to Baltimore for a visit. He wants me to come."

Spencer squeezed his hands. "That's such a huge step, Toby, especially for him. I know they'll appreciate him reaching out, especially if they see your support for him."

"I'm sort of nervous about it though. I mean, that's a long drive…" he said, attempting to joke a little, but she could see the truth in his eyes. He was concerned about the awkwardness, not that she blamed him after three years of near silence between the two.

"Well you guys have a lot to catch up on…" Spencer reminded him, leaning up to press an affectionate kiss to his cheek. "I'm happy for you, Toby."

He smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you. Tomorrow, before we head back to Philly, we should-"

She understood the look on his face and grinned, remembering their conversation in the car earlier that day on the way down about Toby having a special spot he used to go to in Rosewood when he wanted to get away for a little bit. She begged him to show it to her but they had been on a time limit. "Yes, definitely! Can we get-"

"Spencer, I would never drag you out in the cold without coffee." he said amusedly.

He finally noticed the rest of the table had been silent and, based on their expressions, had been for quite some time.

Spencer too looked up and was surprised at the open-mouthed faces in their direction.

"You guys _do_ realize you just basically had a completely telepathic conversation, right…?" Emily asked amusedly.

"Uh…" Toby and Spencer said in unison, looking at each other. It didn't seem that weird to them. But looking back, they realized they had been finishing each other's sentences and picking up on each other's more subtle clues to understand what the other was saying. For people who didn't know each other as well as Toby and Spencer did, it may have seemed a little odd. But they were the kind of couple who knew each other better than they knew themselves now.

"Caleb, why don't we have cute telepathic conversations?! We shouldn't have to use words too." Hanna complained to her boyfriend, pouting as she looked over at the golden couple.

Both Spencer and Toby were looking pretty bashful at this point. Somehow their relationship always became the center of attention.

"I've got a way to fix that…" And with that Caleb suddenly hoisted Hanna out of her chair and over his shoulder, earning him a loud squeal that hurt his eardrum and caught the attention of the entire restaurant.

"Caleb, put me down!" the blonde shouted, flailing in his arms.

He nearly lost his hold from her squirming but managed to keep them upright. He pulled some bills out of his pocket and threw them on the table to pay for their drinks.

"You wanted us to communicate without words, and I'm on board. I'd just rather not have witnesses. Good night you guys. Merry Christmas." he said, saluting the table as he carried Hanna nonchalantly out of the Apple Rose Grille, her body still swung over his shoulder.

They heard Hanna's protests until they were at least a block away. The group burst out laughing.

"They are something else." Aria commented, dragging her mug closer for a long sip, shaking her head in disbelief.

Realizing her cup was empty, she sighed and checked her phone for the time.

"I actually better head out too. I promised Mike I'd help him wrap Mom and Dad's gift. Christmas is going to be sort of awkward this year, the first one since the divorce." she noted.

Spencer squeezed her hand. "Things are better between your parents now though. And they've both been really supportive of the other moving on. It might just be your best one yet."

Aria smiled gratefully at her as they all stood. The snow was falling lightly outside but it wouldn't take long for it to build up. It was best they all head home.

"Merry Christmas you guys. Em, can I steal a ride with you?" Aria asked as she hugged each of her friends, including Toby.

"Of course. Night you two." Emily added when she finished hugging the couple, linking arms with Aria to head to her white Toyota.

"Want me to give you a lift?" Toby asked his girlfriend as she left cash for their drinks.

She mulled it over. "To be honest, I'm not quite ready to head home yet. Any way you'd want to walk the streets, in the romantic snow, and keep me warm?" she asked coyly, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek.

He took her hand in his large one. "That sounds like the best Christmas gift I could ask for."

Spencer, instead of gushing over his sweetness like she wanted to, pulled out an offended face. "What, and your truck means nothing? Fine. I'll take it back." She broke her hand away from his and walked backwards in front of him tauntingly, knowing that truck was his baby now.

"No! Spencer, I didn't mean it!" he defended, swiping at her, knowing she was only teasing.

"Just for that, Mr. Cavanaugh, prepare yourself for another snowball war…." she told him, giggling now as she ran.

Toby chased after her, rolling his eyes at her silliness, and thinking that this really was the best Christmas yet.


	10. Chapter 10

Hello beauties! Thank you all SO much for your kind words in your reviews, PMs and of course on twitter :) And thank you for getting this story to 100 reviews! That's amazing!

I will start by saying: **THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M.** I know a lot of you youngins like to venture into M category anyways, but to abide by fanfiction's rules, I am stating this here: this chapter does borderline on M rating. I tried to keep it tasteful/tame while still making it a littleee steamy, because cmon, we all need more of that 3x02 heat in our lives ;) To all those that read my In My Veins: Troigan one-shot or my Troigan series, thank you as well. You're all fantastic. But like stated in my A/N for that single one-shot, this matureeee content is new to me, so don't be afraid to tell me I'm lacking in skills there ;) All the pointers you can offer the better. But since people have been begging for steam, I thought I'd deliver a littleeee.

Anyways, sorry this chapter is shorter than my last few. I know I've been spoiling you guys with 7000 word chapters, but I can't keep that up every week haha. I will do my best to elongate the next few though, because you guys definitely deserve it and I know I personally prefer longer chapters on anyy story.

This one is set during New Years Eve, and Spencer is wearing the dress featured in 3x13. It's not a costume party, but Troian looked too flawless for me to be able to NOT feature it somewhere in this story so ta-da!

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

"Do you think they'll ever give it up?" Aria asked Spencer amusedly, nodding towards the table where both of their boyfriends, plus Hanna and Caleb, were playing beer pong.

Ezra scored one and he and Toby cheered loudly, doing a really lame handshake they had made up about five beers in while Hanna and Caleb booed from across the court. They were playing in teams: the couple against the bromance, and so far it was a pretty neck-to-neck competition.

The entire group had gotten together for New Years Eve celebrations at Toby's loft. It worked in their favor because since the Brew was closed, they could be as loud and rowdy as they wanted since they were the only ones in the building.

The girls, minus Hanna, were all dancing to the music they had put on. Even though normally the boys would be booing the Britney Spears playing, they were a little too distracted and far too drunk to notice.

"I think Ezra and Toby make a cute couple." Maya joked, dancing sensually with Emily.

"They love each other." Emily slurred, nodding as she pressed closer to Maya for both intimacy and physical support.

"Drank those doubles a little fast, huh Em?" Aria teased. Emily shook her head quickly but then braced her arms out for balance.

"Ergh. Don't do that." she muttered, cuddling back into Maya and swaying, completely off the beat.

Maya had to laugh at her drunk girlfriend. Emily was sort of a lightweight when it came to alcohol. "I think we should sit down. What do you think, Em?"

"Wherever you go, I'll follow." she slurred.

"And maybe we'll get you started on some water… don't want you to ring in the new year with a wicked hangover." Aria commented maternally, heading into Toby's kitchen to get it for her.

"I'm not even drunk." Emily argued, snuggling into Maya on the couch who was petting her hair down affectionately.

"That's what every drunk person says." Aria reminded her as she passed her the cool glass.

"Yeah, that's like saying Toby's not drunk." Spencer inputted, gazing lovingly over at her boyfriend.

Toby was cracking up with Ezra again, most likely over nothing, and she had honestly never seen him so carefree and relaxed. This was the first time she had ever seen him any semblance of intoxicated. She was a fan though; he looked really happy. She was glad he wasn't the angry drunk type, although in this environment not much was really testing that theory.

"I think I'm going to go pee. Those vodka sodas went right through me." Spencer admitted.

"WE WON! IN YOUR FACE!" Hanna suddenly shouted, Caleb joining in as they jumped up and down in victory. Ezra and Toby started pelting them with the beer pong balls and empty red plastic cups, much less coordinated than they hoped so they only hit them a couple times.

Hanna and Caleb then proceeded to make-out in celebration so Ezra and Toby decided they should admit defeat and walk away.

Aria laughed as Ezra failed to walk in a straight line over to her. "Little tipsy, honey?"

He waved a clumsy dismissive hand, making a raspberry noise with his lips. "Not at _all_… but if you could get the room to stop spinning that would be awesome."

She chuckled. "What are we going to do with all of you? No one but me and Spence and Maya are going to make it until midnight." Aria said amusedly as she wrapped an arm around his waist to hold him close. It was after eleven now but they all were going to crash soon if they kept it up.

Toby finally seemed to notice his girlfriend, who was heading towards the bathroom.

"Spencer!" he called out excitedly, like he forgot she was at his loft, and he seemed to be holding up a little better than Ezra since he managed to get across the room pretty fast without stumbling much.

She smiled broadly at him when he bounded over like a happy puppy. She only had the briefest of worries that he'd start licking her face, and the thought made her laugh out loud. "Hi handsome. I'm just going to use the bathroom and then I'll be back."

But Toby had other plans. He backed her further down the hall so they were concealed in darkness, out of sight from the others. "Have I mentioned how much I love you in this dress, because I do…" he murmured to her, leaning his forehead against hers as he pressed his body deeply into hers. "You put even the film noir stars back in the day to shame."

Her breath caught in her throat at his husky tone. He had definitely caught her off-guard. Although they were hidden, Toby wasn't the PDA type. They'd only shared the briefest, tamest of kisses in front of others in the past. Apparently Drunk Toby had less concern about that, and the way he was holding her signaled to her that the alcohol was certainly lowering his inhibitions.

Spencer did really need to go to the bathroom though, so she had to find a way to switch the power-holding before she gave in to the make-out session that was definitely on the brink of happening. Toby's lips were currently ghosting along her jawline, his fingers twirling the ends of her hair as his other hand pressed into her lower back to hold her tightly against him.

She had an idea though, and smirked a little as she flipped them so Toby was against the wall. She somehow managed to press her body tighter to his. "_If you need me, just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you_?" she quoted, dropping her voice an octave and loving the way his eyes began burning with lust. Her mouth was inches from his before she pushed off of him and slipped into the bathroom like nothing had happened.

When Spencer was washing up, she checked herself out in the mirror. The dress was helping accent her best features; it was a midnight-blue, tight-fitted ruching dress that had a slit up one thigh. She wasn't oblivious to the way Toby's eyes had enjoyed the view when she had first arrived, but she hadn't expected his frisky behavior in the hallway. It wasn't typical Toby, but she'd be lying if she said she hadn't enjoyed it.

She exited the bathroom and gasped when the same man instantly pressed her against the adjacent wall, grinning wickedly at her.

"So… I don't know how to whistle… but what happens if I still _need_ you…" he whispered against her ear, his hands slowly sliding down her body.

Spencer was utterly shocked now. Toby was never this forward; but she had to admit, it was kind of hot to see him like this. "Toby Cavanaugh, are you _hitting _on me?"

He chuckled against her neck, beginning to place soft kisses to her now-blazing skin. His hands roamed over her belly, down her legs, along her lower back. She could tell by the way he was moving them that he would much prefer there not be a barrier between their skin.

"I'm just letting my girlfriend know how much I appreciate her… and her phenomenal body… you're utterly gorgeous, you know that, right?"

He slurred a little when he said it but she could tell he was being sincere.

He pulled back to look her in the eyes, smiling a little goofily, brushing her hair off her face so he could see her more clearly.

"Just being near you makes my heart race every time."

He picked up her hand that was limply by her side and pressed it against his chest over his pumping heart. The beat was quicker than normal and she felt almost a little breathless when she looked into his eyes. They were such a mix of desire and pure admiration she wasn't sure what to feel.

Spencer just blushed, unsure how to respond. Her voice was gone as he pushed the strap of her dress off one shoulder and planted his lips along her collarbone.

Impatient, she dragged his mouth to hers and gave him a long, hard kiss that quickly spun into more. Her hands rose to tangle into his hair, anchoring his face to hers as their make-out session rose to new heights of heat. They had never given themselves over so much to their desire for each other and Spencer had to say it was worth the wait.

His hands slid down to rest on her hips, guiding them in a mirroring grinding motion to his.

Her body began responding without her consent, knowing this spontaneous, eager side to her boyfriend was turning her on. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this wanted. Her thoughts before Christmas, of Toby not really wanting her that way, had completely left the building after this encounter and that was okay with her. The only problem was now she wanted to tear his clothes off right here and now.

One of Toby's hands slid down her leg and began climbing under her dress. Understanding where his destination was, she gasped. "_Toby_! Our friends are right down the hall! Any one of them could come to use the bathroom and see us!" she hissed at him, but didn't try to bat his hand away. Unconsciously, she was pulling his hips closer to hers, needing more friction.

Wren hadn't been much for foreplay; he was more of a let's-just-get-to-it kind of guy. But despite it only having been a few minutes of Toby teasing her, she knew her body was completely ready if they were to take the next step. As always, things with Toby were hotter than she thought possible. For someone so laidback and respectful, he sure knew how to push her buttons.

"Tell me you don't want me to and I'll stop." he promised softly, trying not to grin, his lips on her neck now, leaving a delicate trail up to the weak spot behind her ear.

Spencer could feel proof of his arousal against her thigh. She licked her lips, her breathing heavy now. She knew she should push him away and tell him they'd finish it later, but she couldn't stop now. She was just as aroused as he was.

Taking her silence as an acceptance, he let his fingers wrap around the hem of her panties, dragging downwards slowly. "Spencer…" he said, much more calmly and sounding more like himself. "Can I touch you?"

She tried not to tear up over the fact that even in his drunken state, Toby wanted to be one hundred percent sure that she was okay with what was happening.

She nodded quickly, glancing down the hall to make sure there were no witnesses. They were concealed in darkness regardless, but she wanted to make sure this moment remained private. The adrenaline rush that any second someone could catch them was turning her on though; mixed with the fuzziness the alcohol had over her senses and she was downright ready to jump him right there.

His hand slipped between her legs and began moving, touching her right where she needed him. Knowing that she had to be quiet, Spencer brought his lips to hers aggressively to muffle her verbal approval of his motions. She bit down on his lower lip, moaning from deep in her throat when his fingers slid up inside her. Her hips began moving to pull them in deeper, her body twitching from the incredible jolts firing from his strokes. Their tongues tangled together in desperation to be closer. It had never been like this before. She was sure she was seconds away from her heart bursting out of her chest.

Toby broke their mouths apart for air, kissing her face all over and moving back down her neck as he brought her closer and closer to the edge with his calloused fingers. His free hand began caressing her covered breast in a gentle, sensual manner. Even in the throws of passion, Toby still treated her like something precious, not just an outlet for his hormones.

"_Toby_…" she whined, feeling the fall coming, wishing she had enough air to tell him how good everything he was doing felt.

"Spencer, I love you so much. Let go. I'll always catch you." he whispered gently against her ear, his breath tickling her skin, and she felt the coil inside snap and the wave crash down.

His lips found hers immediately as her body spasmed in his arms. He held her upright as her legs quaked underneath her at the force of the pleasure her body just undertook.

Spencer wiped at her face, realizing finally that tears had escaped at some point. She wasn't sure why she was crying; it could be from his incredible sweetness or it was merely her body's reaction to the overwhelming feeling.

Toby began pressing affectionate kisses to her forehead and she relaxed into his body.

"I have never seen a more beautiful sight." he murmured to her, meeting their lips lovingly.

She blushed for the second time that night. She gathered up her courage to be honest with him. "That felt _amazing_. Thank you." she told him quietly.

He smiled and pulled her closer. He knew that was a big step for both of them and although he hadn't planned on them taking such a leap of faith that night, he couldn't regret it. He felt so much closer to her emotionally than he expected. The fact that she let him see her in such a vulnerable, personal state meant a lot to him. He knew she didn't let just anyone see her that way.

She smiled happily back at him and kissed him repeatedly on the mouth. "I love you."

"I love you too." he said, the words only becoming truer every minute he spent with her.

"We should probably get back out there, huh?" Spencer said dejectedly. It's not that she didn't want to spend more time with their friends, but she knew as well as Toby did that what had just happened was a pretty big moment for them. With Toby's past, she would never want to push him, but he had been the one doing the leading this time around.

He nodded and smirked a little when she adjusted her clothes.

Noticing his expression, she quickly ducked into the bathroom to check her appearance. Sure enough her hair was all over the place, messed up from being pressed into the wall and their passionate make-out session. Toby stepped into the room, standing behind her at the mirror and adjusting his own appearance. He only went around her to wash his hands in the sink.

Once satisfied, he wrapped his arms around her body, letting his interlocked hands rest on her stomach. She smiled tenderly at the reflection. They really did look good together, and it was obvious that she fit perfectly into his arms.

He kissed her cheek. "Spencer Hastings, how did I ever get so lucky?"

Her cheeks glowed pink for the umpteenth time. "I ask myself that question every day."

Despite his previous drunkenness, Toby seemed much more himself now. She leaned comfortably back into him, closing her eyes and inhaling his scent.

Toby leaned down to place a soft kiss to the crook of her neck. "I can't wait until the day I get to make love to you. The day I get to show you exactly how much I'm in love with you and every inch of your body, everything that makes you who you are." he told her softly, pure sincerity in every faucet of his voice.

Spencer pressed her face into his neck, trying not to let the tears escape. She never thought anyone would love her the way Toby did. He truly was blind to her faults, or accepted them and loved them as much as her qualities. She had grown to realize that was the true meaning of love, not finding someone who was perfect, but finding someone who you could love both sides to.

"Toby Cavanaugh, can I have you forever?" she whispered.

She would've assumed he hadn't heard her, except he tightened his grip on her and when she glanced at the mirror she could see his eyes were beginning to glisten. He hugged her close to him, leaning his chin on her shoulder.

"I'm yours, Spencer, I always have been and I always will be." he murmured.

It was probably the alcohol, it always made her extra emotional, but she finally felt a few tears break free and trail down her cheeks.

Their sweet, romantic moment was interrupted by shouting from down the hallway.

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING DOWN THERE, GIVING BIRTH?! THE BALL IS ABOUT TO DROP!" Hanna shouted, obviously one tequila shot too many in, and Spencer and Toby had to laugh.

They separated, but Toby didn't let her go far. He intertwined their fingers, bringing her arm up to link through his as she shot him a dazzling smile.

They rejoined their friends and clinked glasses as the clock struck midnight, joining the other couples in kissing the love of their life.

If New Years Eve was really a symbol of how you would spend the rest of the year, they wouldn't have it any other way. Even though they had gotten through so many obstacles already, they realized this was just the beginning of so much more.


	11. Chapter 11

Hello beauties! So sorry for the delay, this chapter was harder to get right than I thought :(

Anyways, reviews are love and let me know what you like! I mayy just update again this weekend ;) I've been having a really heavy workload lately but this weekend I should have some more free time and I plan on dedicating it ALL to writing for you guys because you're all fabulous!

SO this chapter is finally the Ezria drama that I promised. (Emaya's will come up in a few chapters as well as some otherrrr drama). The Ezria drama is not solved right away, but keep in mind that this is a SPOBY story so it is more to do with how SPENCER AND TOBY deal with it, rather than Ezria. Their drama is something I've been "hinting" at since Friend Zone. It was my plan all along to try out my writing of the other couples in this story, hence the flashbacks with Haleb, and now Ezria. Spoby is my OTP no questions asked, but I do love the other characters on the show and want to test out my strengths as a writer and try writing from a few different perspectives. So if you guys could let me know how I did I would love you FOREVER :) (even though I already do)

If you didn't catch the non-hint hints in Friend Zone, don't be sad. Nobody did. I didn't write it so that you COULD guess really, more so you had something to reference back to so it would make more sense when it _did_ happen. I love that a few of you tried to guess though! The non-hint hints are explained in this chapter by Toby and Spencer respectively, in their thoughts/dialogue somewhere. Chapter Three of Friend Zone is where they were though if you're confused :) But, as I said to the few who asked at least, it _is_ a **major** drama in the show for them, with my own AU twist on it ;)

The lastttt scene in this chapter that I wrote was sort of inspired by _The Notebook_. It's more just being inspired by two people who are absolutely crazy about each other, like our lovely Spencer and Toby ;)

SHUTTING UP NOW! THANKS EVERYONE x3

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

Toby passed the two mocha frappuccinos across the counter to the brunette girls before turning back to his friend.

He rubbed his face tiredly. He didn't want to be selfish, and he _was_ really bummed that Ezra was having relationship trouble, but he couldn't help but think of how this was going to affect Spencer's mood later. She was coming over and he planned on making them dinner and settling into a nice evening together. But now she would no doubt be grouchy and tense because her best friend was upset. That is if she didn't cancel on him all together.

"Maybe you should just start from the beginning…" he suggested.

Ezra nodded and thought back to earlier that day.

* * *

_"Nervous?" his supervisor asked with a knowing smirk._

_Ezra shook his head, and then seeing the expression on the man's face, backtracked. "…yeah."_

_His superior laughed. "You'll be fine. College kids are much more forgiving than high school ones. Just remember what I told you I learned right away from teaching, that would've helped me back then; don't be afraid to laugh at yourself, and no dating any of the students."_

_Ezra raised his eyebrow at him. "Something you're not telling me, Byron?"_

"_That's Professor Montgomery to you." Byron teased back. "And I _may_ have dawdled on the line of making some poor decisions… but this school is much stricter now. You may just be a TA but the same rule applies. You will be kicked out of the university, and so will the student you're involved with. But you're the one in the position of power so you'll be nailed much worse than she would be."_

_Ezra nodded. "Trust me sir, that won't be a problem."_

"_Good. Now my daughter is in this class so I'll be getting a full report from her later. Go knock 'em dead." Byron told him, shooing him off towards the auditorium where his normal class would be waiting for their new 'professor' for that particular unit. _Him_. It was part of Ezra's program that he teach a class one unit of their course, that was in his subject major, to prove that he was qualified._

_Ezra took a deep breath and entered the auditorium of about sixty students. He immediately went to the board to write the name they were to address him by._

_With one last deep breath, he swiveled around to greet the quieted group which is when he spotted the familiar brunette two rows and three seats over. She looked up from her notes at the exact same time._

"_Holy crap." Ezra blurted out without thinking, staring in shock at his girlfriend, whose own mouth had fallen open in surprise._

_Things were about to get really complicated._

* * *

Toby closed his eyes in stress. Great. Just great.

"Can't she switch classes? Or can't you? Did you tell Byron?" Toby asked frantically, desperate for an escape.

Ezra shook his head disappointedly. "No… and here's the best part: Byron is Aria's dad."

Toby's jaw dropped. "You're _joking_."

"Nope." Ezra replied, popping the 'p' and Toby felt a bout of sympathy for his friend. He looked like he could use a beer but was settling for coffee which wasn't doing anything for his nerves.

"How did you not know that they were related?" Toby couldn't help but blurt out.

The older of the two sighed. "I'm just a moron. I couldn't put two and two together. I knew Aria's dad worked at Hollis. I knew Byron had a daughter and a son. I knew both of their last names but she never calls her father by his first name and he had only mentioned Aria's name once or twice over the years…"

Toby suddenly recalled way back when he was first getting to know Ezra, how when Toby explained who the big-eyed brunette was, Ezra had said the name sounded familiar.

"But for god sakes, how many people are named Aria around here?!" Ezra exclaimed irritably, obviously angered by his own stupidity.

Toby clapped him on the shoulder supportively. "You're not the only one who didn't put two and two together. How is Aria over this whole thing?"

Ezra sent him a look, that clearly spelled _not good_.

* * *

_Ezra was eternally grateful that all he had to do was go over the syllabus for the class before assigning the readings and dismissing them all. He could tell by the way Aria was slamming her books closed that she was less than pleased._

"Mr. Fitz_, can I talk to you about something?" she asked through gritted teeth._

_Ezra gulped as he watched the rest of them file out of the classroom. Once they were clear, he raised his hands slightly in surrender._

"_Aria-"_

"_HOW could you leave this out?! You had a class list! You-_you're_ my dad's TA?!" she exclaimed angrily when the room was empty, the shrillness in her tone making him cower, feeling much like a scolded child._

_She had a point though- he had a class list that he had failed to read over. He had no idea it would be important pre-teaching._

_Her last comment was the one that really made him blanch, and then it all clicked into place. He sucked in a breath, his hands folded up in a prayer-like gesture as he covered his mouth._

_Of course Byron was Aria's dad… which meant that Aria knew full well what rules were in place and what was at stake._

"_You knew I was taking this class! How could you not think this might happen?!" Aria continued, since Ezra was silent._

"_Well YOU knew your dad had a TA that would be unleashed on you soon enough, why is it such an unbelievable concept that it could be me? I told YOU I was teaching a class of this type this semester! You never said exactly what the class was!"_

"_Well neither did you!" she shot back._

_Ezra sighed. This was getting them nowhere. He knew that he was more at fault. She was right. He should've checked the class list beforehand and they could've avoided this whole thing before it was so set in stone._

"_Look, I screwed up, okay?"_

"_Yeah, I'd say that is an understatement." Aria hissed, crossing her arms._

_Despite their frustration, they were keeping their conversation very quiet so no one passing by would overhear. Ezra wasn't sure if Byron would come check on how it went before his next class, and that would be all he needed right now. He had heard some stories of Aria's dad running off her boyfriends in the past and he doubted the fact that they had known each other for a couple years would mean he would be given an easy pass, especially since he was now her teacher._

"_This is the only class I'm given to teach, Aria. I can't switch. It's part of my degree. I can't graduate without it."_

_Aria understood what he was implying and her feathers were feeling severely ruffled by now. "Ezra, I can't switch out of this class either! This is the only time this particular class is offered this term and it's a prerequisite for my winter term classes. If I drop it, I'll be screwing up my entire schedule and will have to take summer classes or add a year to my studies."_

"_Crap. Well I'm sure you're aware of the student-teacher policy…"_

_Aria sighed and adjusted the strap on her shoulder better. "Yeah… I am." she said solemnly, the anger leaving her body at the realization of their other option to avoid breaking the rules._

_Ezra seemed to catch on to what she was thinking and grabbed her hands as her gaze shifted to the floor._

"_Aria…"_

_She sniffed a little. "Look, we should just take some time and think about what we both want."_

"_I… I want you!" he said desperately, tugging on her hands before she could pull away._

"_Ezra…" she trailed off sadly, finally peeking up at him beneath her lashes. "I want you too. But we don't really have another option."_

"_Yes we do! We can be together." he promised._

"_Yeah, and when we're kicked out of the university and I ruin your life, will you still want me then?" she said, her agonized voice ringing in the painful silence._

_He hated how her big hazel eyes, the first feature on her he had ever fallen in love with, filled with tears._

"_Aria…"_

"_Ezra, this is too much to decide in the next five minutes. I've got to get to class."_

"_Wait, when can I see you next?" he asked her back as she headed towards the door. _

_She looked over her shoulder, lifting one half-heartedly. "I'll see you in class, Mr. Fitz."_

* * *

Toby looked sadly over at his friend. He could tell the whole thing was tearing him apart. He looked like a puppy locked out of the house in the pouring rain.

"Well, maybe she means just for the semester, until the class is over…?" Toby suggested.

Ezra sighed. "I can't sit in class and see her every day and not be with her, Toby. And I can't be sure she won't fall for another guy before we get back together."

"Hey, Aria is crazy about you." the younger guy reminded him.

"Yeah…" Ezra replied noncommittally.

Toby scanned the man carefully. "Are you… are you considering taking the risk?"

Ezra looked down shamefully, before meeting his friend's surprised eyes. "She's worth it to me, Toby. I… I worry about screwing up her future, but I know mine is with her no matter what happens."

Toby could understand that. He knew as his friend he should be reminding him of all that he would lose, that he might not have a choice in having Aria in his life if things did blow up, but he could see the utter defeat in Ezra's eyes and knew if he was faced with the same choice with Spencer, he would damn well take the risk. She was worth the world to him.

"Okay." Toby said with a nod.

Ezra looked over in surprise, expecting more of an argument, but when their eyes met the understanding followed. Both men had their hearts stolen by the two brunette best friends and there was no talking them out of it now.

"Okay." Ezra agreed.

* * *

Toby turned the burner down later that night right when there was a knock on the door. Knowing who it was, he quickly put the stirring spoon down and rushed over to let his girlfriend in. He wasn't sure what to expect after the events earlier that day, but he was hoping she was in a good mood. He had really been looking forward to their night in at his loft.

Spencer smiled brightly when she saw him and he couldn't help but grin in return before immediately pulling her into him to kiss her hello.

Quick, welcome-home kisses quickly spun into more. Toby pressed Spencer against the door, effectively shutting it, and trailed kisses down her neck as he began helping the slender brunette out of her peacoat.

Spencer was giggling at the butterfly wings feeling against her skin. "Has my lovely boyfriend had a few beers tonight…? This is starting to feel a little like New Years…" she laughed breathlessly, meeting his lips with hers again.

He chuckled. "Not a drop. If you weren't so irresistible…"

Spencer backed them up, still kissing, so his knees hit the arm of the couch. Toby understood what she wanted and guided them carefully backwards onto the chesterfield. Their kisses turned to the open-mouth kind, warm and inviting, as Toby relaxed them back into the cushions.

Spencer shimmied up his body so she could kiss him better, the ends of her hair tickling his skin as it framed around their joined faces. He leaned up, not separating their mouths, to help her dispose of her cardigan, groaning as she deliberately rolled her pelvis into his.

This was how their make-out sessions had heated up in the past couple months. Ever since New Years, they had been finding less and less excuses not to go all the way. Toby was still a little apprehensive; he wanted their first together to be absolutely perfect, and he would hate to ruin it with another attack. Spencer was perfectly comfortable waiting, but times like these made it hard for her to see that clearly.

Finally, they ran out of air and leaned their foreheads together, panting hard.

"You sure know how to greet a girl." Spencer teased, playing with his hair with her fingertips, smiling warmly.

"I think you too have this hello thing down pat." Toby replied, running his hands soothingly up and down her back. One of his favorite things to do in the world was to just hold her like this. He loved cuddling with Spencer; he loved making her feel safe and loved.

Spencer laid her head against his chest as she situated herself more comfortably. She adored how she and Toby could go from super passionate to super tender in a heartbeat. She knew Toby was not just into her for physical, but she was glad that he reminded her plenty of the time that he was attracted to her too. But Toby also had an incredible knack for making her feel beautiful and appreciated.

"I should check on dinner or those noodles are going to be mush and the sauce is going to burn." Toby said dejectedly, not wanting to leave her embrace but kind of liking his loft _not_ being burned down.

Spencer slid off of him easily, pouting only slightly at the loss of contact. Toby slipped away to attend to the food when Spencer's phone beeped.

She sighed. "It's Aria, posting yet another depressing song lyric on twitter. I told her I'd be there for her tonight if she needed me, but she refused."

"How _is_ Aria? Ezra told me about today." Toby explained as he drained the noodles in the strainer, hoping that he'd be able to have positive news to report back to Ezra but realizing that was a pretty pipe-dream.

Spencer scoffed. "How do you think? I still can't believe Ezra."

Toby immediately felt a weight in his belly. He didn't want to argue with Spencer, but that was his best friend she was putting down. "It's not completely Ezra's fault…"

Spencer swiveled in her seat to look at him disbelievingly. "How isn't it? He had the class list… he knew Byron _Montgomery_ had a daughter in the class…"

"Ezra didn't know they were related, and he didn't think to check the class list for her name. She hadn't told him exactly what course she was taking-"

"So?! Ezra didn't tell her what class he was teaching either! Is she expected to be psychic?" Spencer was standing now, eyes blazing in defense of her best friend.

Toby was standing stiffly across the room, his own defense stance on. "No, but is Ezra? Aria knew full well a TA would be teaching her class and it just happened to coincide perfectly with when Ezra was beginning his teaching position-"

"I can't believe you are defending him right now!" Spencer shouted. "Ezra had obviously heard Byron mention Aria's name before, I mean, how many Arias are out there?!"

Toby distinctly remembered Ezra beating himself up about that same thing and felt his defensiveness increase at the memory of his friend's brokenhearted expression.

"I'm not saying Ezra didn't mess up, I'm just saying he's not the only one at fault here! Aria played her part too!" Toby shouted back, trying to keep his frustration at bay. He didn't want to fight Spencer on this, but he knew they'd be on opposing sides of this war. He had no problem with Aria, but he didn't think she deserved a free pass in all of this, especially with the way she was treating Ezra about it all.

"Aria may not want to hear this, but Ezra is the adult in this situation. He should've known better! He should've taken responsibility and used his brain a little to even contemplate the fact that Aria might end up in his class. He knew her major! He has to know that is the only class offered at that time and the course material she probably mentions _regularly_ reflected what he had been marking! It's not Aria's job to play Nancy Drew and figure out exactly what he TAs if he wasn't willing to share it!"

"Oh, so as usual, it's the _guy's_ fault! Really rich, Spencer!" Toby lost his temper and yelled, annoyed as all hell now. She was completely delusional if she thought Aria was the only victim in the equation.

But he realized he took it a step too far with that comment when he saw the look on her face.

Spencer practically breathed fire out of her nostrils. "Don't you dare bring up feminist theories with me right now, Toby Cavanaugh or so help me! You know what, you can eat your mushy, overcooked dinner _alone_! I'm not going to listen to you trying to villain-ize my best friend anymore!"

Too pissed off to think of a witty response, Toby responded with "Fine!"

"Fine!" she shouted back, snatching her coat and slamming the door behind her.

As soon as the door shut, Toby felt the frustration leave his body and be replaced with guilt. He and Spencer had never fought like that. He wasn't even the type to yell, ever, but when she started going at him he couldn't help himself.

He shut off the ruined pasta dinner and collapsed onto the sofa, putting his head in his hands. What had he _done_?

* * *

Spencer meanwhile had stormed down the stairs furiously, ready to kick garbage cans over, until she stopped at the end of the staircase and exhaled.

God, she had gone completely Spencer-zilla up there! What was wrong with her?!

She couldn't help but be defensive of Aria. Aria was her best friend and she was hurting right now. She couldn't handle anyone, even Toby, saying anything slightly negative towards her. But she knew Toby had made some fair points, and truth be told Spencer felt sorry for Ezra too. She knew the pair was really happy together and this reveal today was more hurt feelings at what was to come rather than what led up to it. Spencer wasn't sure what was going to happen and she was scared for both friends, but she hadn't meant to take that out on her poor boyfriend.

She knew he was only so defensive of Ezra for the very same reason. She was sure if Toby had talked to Ezra today he had seen how defeated the poor man must be. Aria had admitted to Spencer that she hadn't handled things the best with him and that when she left he looked more hurt than she had ever seen him. Of course Toby would be immediately jumping up to rationalizing Ezra's actions; he had every right to.

Spencer felt a tear trail down her cheek and wiped it away impatiently. Had she just screwed things up between her and Toby for good? Just the thought of losing him took a painful clench on her lungs. No. She wouldn't settle for that.

But should she let him cool off and try to talk to him later when both of their heads were clear? Frankly, as much as they cared about both Ezra and Aria, this wasn't their battle. Spencer hated that they were on opposing sides of the current war, but at the end of the day they were always on the same side.

Without even thinking about it, Spencer raced back up the stairs two at a time.

Toby swung open the door moments before she crashed into it, looking just as winded as she did, causing her to conclude that he must have been doing the same impulsive thing.

Not hesitating, Spencer launched herself at him, knocking him off his feet and causing them to crash onto the oak hardwood.

But they were both oblivious to the bruises they would no doubt have tomorrow for they were kissing fiercely, grabbing at each others' clothes to pull their partner closer.

"I'm so, so sorry. I never should've yelled at you." Spencer managed to get out between frantic, near-bruising kisses.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even brought it up. I know how protective you are of Aria." Toby replied as he pulled on her tank top strap to get better access to her neck, nibbling on her collarbone and causing her to groan as their limbs tangled together.

"God, I love you." she murmured into his mouth as he kissed her hard, passionately, letting his hands explore her body over her clothes.

"I love you so much." he half-groaned back as she grinded into him eagerly, her hands tugging on his hair as she crashed their lips back together.

They were practically a flailing-octopus of body parts, unable to keep their hands or mouths off of each other.

"Let's never fight again?" Spencer proposed, moaning as his hand grazed over her bra under her shirt.

"I don't know, I'm kind of enjoying the making up process." he teased against her ear, letting his teeth run down the tender part behind her ear, her weak spot.

Sure enough she whimpered. Toby adored that sound. His free hand slid to grasp the waistband of her leggings to revive the sound, but her hand shot up to stop him.

Worried he overstepped things, he pulled back but Spencer was smiling mischievously at him. She flipped them over.

"I think it's your turn." she said huskily against his ear, unbuttoning his jeans.

Jenna literally the furthest thing from his mind, Toby was all too happy to acquiesce.

If this was what fights with Spencer were like, Toby was going to spend a lot more time pissing her off...


	12. Chapter 12

Hello beauties :) You guys, as usual, are awesome!

Just wanted to clarify something since I realize I wasn't very clear for some of you: Ezria has NOT broken up, they're just going through a really rough patch and are confused on how to fix it. And Spoby did NOT go all the way yet. They're still just getting comfortable with each other and Toby's still working through some stuff before he can fully commit to that. That being said, the time will come soon ;)

The Ezria drama, as I've stated before, will not be resolved as fast as Haleb's was because their problem is a lot bigger and more complicated, but before I got back to working on them I wanted to introduce something else... so pre-warning this chapter does end on a cliffhanger ;) BUT this is something I've been wanting to tackle for a while and one of the reasons I chose to do a sequel.

I'm trying to make shorter A/Ns, and soon, cut them out all together. I want my writing to be able to speak for itself and if I need to clarify things in the A/N then obviously I'm doing something wrong, right? So in the future, know that I love you all and your amazing responses, and that I will only use A/Ns to give credit where credit is due. Although I've only had one or two people comment on my lengthy A/Ns on here, I'm sure there are plenty more of you sick of reading my babbling ;)

Enjoy the chapter, lovelies!

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

Emily, Hanna, Caleb and Spencer were visiting Toby and Ezra at work on an overcast Thursday afternoon. Maya and Aria were both tied up with school stuff, but regardless you probably wouldn't have seen the short artistic brunette joining them. Aria and Ezra were still on a rocky bridge. They hadn't broken up yet, but they were basically avoiding each other, and therefore their _problem_, all together.

There still wasn't a clear solution. Aria would simply slip in and out of class without the barest of glances towards him. She'd spend the entire hour staring at the page in front of her as she took notes on what he was saying, refusing to even look at him.

Ezra was still figuring out how to get her to come around and even talk to him so he could convince her they could make it work somehow. For now, he was simply giving her the space she obviously wanted.

It wasn't a busy time of day so the four friends were settled on the stools across the counter from the servers and engaged in easygoing conversation.

"Where do you come down in the whole natural vs. synthetic extensions debate? I mean, does affordability and easy maintenance really outweigh the look and feel of real human hair?" Hanna asked the group, playing with her blonde locks.

Caleb rolled his eyes as Spencer and Emily looked at her inquisitively, as if considering the proposal.

"Do you really need more hair, Han?" Emily teased her. "You chopped it for a reason."

Hanna pouted. "I love my short hair, but I miss having it long sometimes. That's why I always play with Spence's."

Spencer smiled, but it was Toby who spoke. "I'm sure she doesn't complain."

The brunette looked over at her boyfriend who had an extra twinkle in his eye. She merely held back a smile, giggling under her breath slightly. Toby had a fetish for playing with her hair, and she had a fetish for him doing so. Regardless, he still loved to tease her about it.

A buzzing came from across the counter and Toby startled, realizing it was his phone. He slipped it out and read the message, chuckling slightly.

Seeing the curious eyes, he corrected his throat as he began typing a response. "It's Jason."

Ezra pulled out an offended face and placed a hand over his heart. "Toby…" he began in a hurt voice. "Are you cheating on our bromance?!"

The girls laughed. Spencer knew full well that Toby and Jason had been bonding since they had begun working together. Jason had stopped by to get the last of the paperwork for the truck signed at Toby's loft a couple weeks previous and, after seeing the beautiful cabinets Toby had constructed, requested his help on the weekends with his kitchen renovation. When the snow cleared up in a couple months, they'd start on the fence.

Jason worked Monday to Friday, so, like Toby, he was only available on weekends which worked perfectly for both of them.

"Hey, Toby was mine first. I thought we had history, Toby. I thought we had something _special_." Caleb cut in, exaggeratedly pouting.

Toby threw plastic cup lids, the first thing he grabbed, at the duo as they all broke into laughter.

"Shut up, the pair of you." he told them amusedly. "He's just letting me know what time to meet him this weekend-"

"Scandalous! Where are you meeting? The honeymoon suite at a hotel?" Hanna cut in, giggling hysterically with Emily as the group enjoyed themselves at Toby's expense.

He sighed. "Spencer, help me out?"

She laughed. "Honey, I'm pretty sure you answer the phone with him like 'Sup my brotha-from-anotha-motha!'" she said, imitating a rather pathetic ghetto-masculine voice.

Toby smirked and came around the counter, unleashing his tickling hands on her.

"Your wit is just out of control these days, missy." he teased quietly beside her hairline, pressing affectionate kisses behind her ear as his fingers played with the skin under her shirt. She was pushing against his chest, giggling uncontrollably, but adjusting herself to welcome the kisses.

He took pity on her and stopped his attack, knowing that just because his boss had stepped out for lunch didn't mean he was free to play when he should be working.

The rest of the group rolled their eyes inwardly at the flirty staring match Spencer and Toby shared for the rest of the visit. Those two were nothing if not consistent.

* * *

The weekend came and Toby was all too happy to head down to Jason's to continue working on his kitchen. So far things had been pretty good and Jason had the same music taste as him so they usually had the radio playing while they worked which always made the day go by faster.

But conversation came easy between the two men and for that Toby was grateful. It made it feel more like two friends working together than him being the employee. Jason seemed to really appreciate Toby's help, despite the fact that he was paying him, and it just made for a much more easygoing job.

They had applied the final coating on the cupboard doors so it seemed like a good time to take a break while it dried and kick back with a Pepsi.

"So what drew you to move out here?" Toby asked conversationally.

Jason lived in a very secluded area, in a much more rural area, with vast distance between his place and the neighboring houses. Based on the fact that Jason wanted to build a fence, it was clear the man liked his privacy.

Jason sighed before tipping his can back. Seeing the ghosts of pain crossing his eyes, Toby clued in that it was a rather personal question.

"I'm sorry. It's none of my business." he quickly corrected.

The dirty-blonde shook his head. "No, I don't mind sharing, it's just probably a heavier answer than you were hoping for." he admitted.

Toby's expression melted into concern.

He continued. "I lost my younger sister last year. One night she was walking home and it was dark and rainy. She wasn't wearing bright colors or anything, so when she was crossing the road she got hit by a car."

Jason swallowed. "She was only seventeen and my only sibling. Ali was fearless. If you knew her, you'd understand how ridiculous it is that she's dead. She was such a force to be reckoned with I swore she'd live forever."

Toby processed in silence, understanding now the hollowness in Jason's eyes that had always been subtly present since they had met.

"I'm sorry." is all Toby could think to say. He hated himself for the typical generic answer; he had heard those words far too many times after his mom died. They never provided much comfort. But there really weren't any words that would mend the hole that would always be present in his, and Jason's, heart.

Jason nodded his thanks. "I… didn't handle it well. Me and Alison butted heads plenty of the time, she was always on offence, but she was my baby sister so I loved her endlessly. I always was sort of envious of her too. People worshipped her, both peers and adults alike. Losing her devastated my parents obviously and I only made things worse. In my grief, I started substance abusing everything I could get my hands on, trying to find an escape. It was just adding unnecessary stress on them so I wanted to get my own place. I came in to family money, and wanted a place where I didn't feel like eyes were always on me. In my old town, I will forever be the dead girl's brother." he said bitterly.

Toby hated how much self-loathing there was in his voice but knew that there was nothing he could say that would take that away. He knew how people worked. Once society labeled you as something, you would never be completely clear. Someone somewhere would always still see you as just that, even if there was no truth behind it. After all, he had been the boy who lost his mother in his old town. Broken people fascinated the masses.

"I understand why you needed to get away. I've been there." Toby supplied, thinking of his need to get away from even just Jenna a few months previous.

Jason smiled a little. "Something told me you would."

Toby felt a strange pull to share his own story with Jason, to even the field, to make Jason feel more comfortable for revealing such a personal dark past. But Toby's past was so complicated and tangled that he wasn't sure if it would only serve to make the other man uncomfortable in the reveal.

Before Toby could decide, Jason continued.

"That's the reason I decided to get my own place, to start fresh. But to answer your question, why I chose here is a bit of a different story."

Toby looked up in surprise. He was about twenty minutes out of Philadelphia, sort of between where Toby lived and where his parents resided in Rosewood.

"I found out that the father that raised me… was not my real father. My mom had cheated back in her college days and lied to my dad and kept the baby. Ali was all theirs, but not me. She finally revealed that my real father has two daughters of his own with his wife. Based on the fact that I only just received tell of this, I doubt the girls know. I know they live somewhere in Philadelphia. I know if I approach _him_ about it, he'll deny it or turn it into a lawsuit. But I'm not here to get to know him. I have no interest in that. But after losing my sister, I want to get to know my other half-sisters. I don't know their names, so I'd have to go through him to find them. But at the same time, I don't want to ruin their lives."

Toby absorbed this, unsure of what he would do given the same situation.

"I think you have a right to get to know your family, just like they do. It won't be easy, but I think they'd want to know about you too." he told him supportively.

Jason seemed to contemplate this.

"Hey, thanks for listening. I'm sorry to burden you with all of this crap… I just haven't really had anybody to talk to. My friends left when I stopped getting high with them and I mostly keep to myself."

Toby waved a dismissive hand. "I don't mind in the slightest. It's a lot to take on alone."

Jason nodded, and then brightened as if he suddenly remembered something. "While I'm thinking of it, I should give you those summer tires. I dug them out of the shed for you."

Toby followed him enthusiastically. He had already cleared a space for them in his storage room. Toby was still really smitten with his truck and plenty of the time the two men's conversation would switch to the tan beauty in the driveway.

He was greeted with an even better sight however when he saw Spencer pull up in her SUV. She waved friendlily at Jason, who returned the gesture enthusiastically.

"Sorry to interrupt." she said as she hopped out. "I thought you guys could use a lunch break. I made Toby's favorite… grilled cheese sandwiches."

Toby couldn't help but smile as she approached, the winter cold making her cheeks extra pink and her eyes bright. She was breathtaking on a regular day, especially when she sent him the coy smile she was currently sporting.

"Thank you, Spencer. I would've fed your boyfriend, but it probably would've been black on both sides if I was working the stove." he joked. "I'll give you guys a few minutes. I'm going to go grab those tires."

Spencer watched the older of the two men head out of sight before stepping closer to her boyfriend, her fingers tapping a playful trail up his chest as she bit her lip expectantly.

Understanding what she wanted, he chuckled. "I'm kinda sweaty."

She smirked as she pressed closer. "Yeah, well I can handle it." she argued, kissing him softly.

Toby wanted more as she made to move away, letting his hands fall to her lower back and pulling her a little closer as he kissed her again. Spencer kissed him back just as enthusiastically, curving their faces together and letting her hand tangle into his hair.

"Thanks for lunch." Toby told her when they broke apart finally.

She smiled. "No problem. I really just came for the kiss."

He wrinkled his nose at her amusedly, but accepted the bag of food from her. He could feel the warmth still emanating from inside. His stomach growled in anticipation. Spencer really did make delicious grilled cheese. Despite it just being cheese slices and bread, she had to do _something_ to them to make them out of this world.

Jason returned, rolling the tires down the path and Toby immediately headed over to assist him. Feeling pretty useless, Spencer just waited awkwardly, figuring she should probably say goodbye and head out.

The men loaded the tires into the truck bed and Toby jumped in surprise when he felt something brush by his feet.

Looking down, he spotted a black cat nuzzling against his shins lovingly, like he was its long lost master.

Jason looked even more surprised. "Huh. That's weird. That cat doesn't go near anybody. I asked around and apparently he's been hanging around this neighborhood for a while. He usually steers clear of people, just sniffs around for food. But any time anybody tries to approach him he runs off." he explained, watching the cat roll on his back when Toby crouched down and let him scratch at his furry belly.

"Toby, it might have rabies or something!" Spencer called from a few feet away, feeling nervous. She had never had a pet before, but her parents had warned her plenty of stray animals. You never know what kind of diseases they were harboring.

"He looks like he's been abused. He probably ran away from his last owner." Toby observed, rubbing his thumb along the scar above the cat's eye.

Spencer advanced slowly. The cat immediately turned its face towards her and swayed back and forth on his back, as if asking for more scratches for his belly.

She couldn't help but giggle a little at its silliness.

Toby smiled and held a hand up and behind him. She cautiously took it and eased herself down beside him. The black furry creature pawed playfully at her looming hand; she was apprehensive to pet him, but after his affectionate gesture she settled her fingers in his soft hair.

"He's got a gash on his back leg." Spencer suddenly noticed. "He should see a vet."

Toby gently turned the animal over. The cat gave him an annoyed face, as now his belly scratches had been abandoned, but let Toby appraise the mark. "It looks like it's from a fight with another animal, or maybe he grazed some sort of sharp material."

Spencer's phone trilled, startling the entire group and causing the cat to shoot off under the truck and scamper into the woods.

Toby sighed and straightened up. "So much for that."

"Sorry, it's just Melissa. I'm supposed to meet her for lunch. We're trying out this getting-along thing." She grimaced, letting them both know how not excited she was for it.

"Good luck." Toby told her, squeezing her hands. "Thanks again for bringing us food."

She nodded, smiling and pecking a quick kiss to his cheek. "I better go. Melissa's never been good at being patient." And with that, she headed off towards the road.

"She and her sister don't get along?" Jason guessed as they turned to head back inside.

Toby smirked. "Her family is sort of odd. Meeting her parents was a bit of a mess. The Hastings are not the typical Rosewood family…"

But Jason stopped walking suddenly and his eyes were practically bugging out. Toby automatically thought he was suffering from something medical and his hands raised to catch him in case he fell.

The dirty-blonde gaped at him. "You said… you said Hastings. As in _Peter_ Hastings?"

Toby nodded confusedly. "You know him?"

"Yeah… he's-he's my father."

Feeling a similar vertigo to what Jason had experienced moments ago, Toby swayed on the spot.

"But that would mean…"

"Spencer… Spencer is my half-sister. I'm her half-brother." he breathed in disbelief.

"What did you just say?!" a voice suddenly demanded and both men whipped around.

Spencer stood only a few feet away, eyes wide in shock and horror.


	13. Chapter 13

I said I was going to try to cut my A/Ns to be a lot shorter so here goes: You're all amazing, so glad that for the most part the Jason thing is going over well!It's been my plan since I decided to do a sequel to include him, so I'm glad so many of you are on board. In a lot of ways, I suppose I am basically following the show in my own AU world.

Speaking of, I took a lot of dialogue from 2x19/2x20 to make this chapter work for obvious reasons. I had to alter some of it to fit but you get the point.

Anyone who has done a circle puzzle (a puzzle that is not square or rectangular, but in a circle shape with complicated pieces that make you want to pull your hair out), I applaud you. I did one this summer with 1000 pieces and I swear. Never. Again.

A line towards the end sounds very similar to the line at the end of chapter one of Friend Zone, but that was intentional :) Not that I can plagiarize myself... but you know.

Hope you guys like it! Thanks for all the love, support and patience :) hugs for you all!

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

Spencer stood staring at the two shocked guys, feeling the world spinning all around her even though she was sure she was on still ground. She stared at the dirty-blonde haired man, demanding an answer with her eyes that were slowly filling with tears of hurt and betrayal.

She had doubled back to tell Jason not to worry about returning her food container, but she got a hell of a lot more than she bargained for.

"What-what did you say?" she asked softer now, losing her force. "No, you're lying. Why would you make something like that up?"

But even as she tried to force the conviction in her voice, a lot of things were slowly starting to click into place.

Jason stepped forwards, his palms up in unconscious surrender, but Spencer backed away like he was going to hurt her. "Spencer, I only found out recently. My mom and your dad had an affair in college… I know that's hard to believe-"

"No, I know he cheated! He admitted to it last year! But he never said a word about you!" she bit back, continuing to back away, as if she could avoid the truth if she got out of earshot of the painful words.

"I don't think he and my mom planned on anyone ever finding out." Jason admitted, surprisingly calm despite the fact that Spencer was shouting at him.

Spencer struggled to find words, gaping like a goldfish at the man with the sorrowful eyes. But as she analyzed his face, she almost recoiled at the sight of the familiar curve to his jawline and the angles of his eyebrows.

Something stirred in her memory. "Your mom… her name is Jessica?" she asked softly, closing her eyes in defeat.

Jason's face changed. It was almost as if he hadn't quite believed it until that was confirmed. He nodded. "Jessica DiLaurentis."

Spencer remembered overhearing the name shouted by her own mother during that dark period in her parents' marriage the year before. She had rightfully assumed it had been the name of her father's mistress.

Jason looked to be accepting this, but not Spencer. If anything, the more proof she got, the more defensive she became.

"No, this is all wrong. It can't be true." she muttered.

Toby stepped forward, reaching out to place a comforting hand on her but she jerked away.

"Don't touch me, Toby." she hissed, and even though she meant the words, the pain in his eyes was not worth it.

She kept backing up as if they were a pack of wolves cornering her. "NO. This is all wrong. You're not my brother, okay? You're just… you're not! My parents wouldn't keep something that big from me. I wouldn't have spent my entire life with another sibling I never knew existed. No. You're wrong, okay? You have the wrong family." she said finally.

"Spencer-" Toby began soothingly, seeing her tears of betrayal spill over.

"You're wrong, okay?!" she yelled before turning around and running to her car.

"Spencer, wait!" Toby called desperately but she had already thrown open the door and hurled herself inside.

Jason collapsed onto the stairs, throwing his head in his hands. "Well, that couldn't have gone worse."

Toby felt his heart pull out of the driveway with Spencer's SUV as she sped down the road away from the parallel universe she had just fallen into.

* * *

Spencer stood with her arms crossed, trying to stop the overflow of tears from falling from her eyes.

"Why am I the last to know?" she demanded.

Her mother sighed.

After Spencer had raced away from Jason's place, she drove around in circles, trying to find reasons not to believe the shocking admission. It was insane! She couldn't have a brother she never knew about! Her parents would have told her. Dysfunctional as they were, they wouldn't keep a secret that big from her, would they?

But there were too many coincidences, too many tiny little things clinking into place like balls falling into holes in a pinball machine. Snippets of arguments her parents had had over the years, allusions to things she had never understood even with her high IQ, left her feeling too much uncertainty. Spencer decided to get the answers she needed, and there was only one place that she could get them.

So she found herself at her parents place in Rosewood and confronting her mother, the first person she had run into. Her mother, although normally a little out of the loop on what Spencer was feeling, was not oblivious to the storm clouds rolling above Spencer's head when she entered the house.

"You're not. Melissa doesn't know either." Veronica Hastings admitted.

Spencer had cancelled her lunch plans with Melissa and told her instead to meet her at their old house, but Melissa had yet to arrive. She had assumed Melissa was in the dark too, but if she wasn't she sure wanted to give her an earful too.

"What? How could you not tell her? How could you be okay with this? How can you go on living like he didn't exist for all of these years?" her youngest daughter shouted.

"_I_ didn't know. I didn't know until Jason was nearly an adult and by then, your father and I, we discussed it." she said matter-of-factly, like they had been choosing what punishment to give a misbehaving toddler.

The nonchalance in her response only infuriated Spencer more. "You discussed WHAT?! How he was going to tell his daughters that he was going on a father-son fishing trip with the kid in the next town?"

Veronica pulled out her pacifying face, as if Spencer was an overreacting child throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the aisle because of being denied her favorite sugar cereal. "I understand that you feel angry… and confused and betrayed. Believe me, I did too. And sometimes I still do. But I had to get past it." she told her, the emotions crawling up her throat too.

Spencer's eyes only narrowed further. "How?"

"Spencer, _every_ family has secrets. If I had known before, then I would've made a different decision and _you_ wouldn't be here. Try to calm down so when your father gets home, we can all talk about it together."

Spencer shook her head, trying to control her tears. "No, I don't want to talk to him. I don't even want to _look_ at him."

"Spencer, this doesn't really change anything-"

Spencer was too quick, all those bubbling feelings of betrayal exploding out of her as her tears broke the dam and flooded her cheeks. "No, this changes EVERYTHING!"

Her mom sighed. "Honey, please." she begged.

Spencer looked at the floor stubbornly, unconsciously stepping back to avoid her mother's outstretched comforting hand.

It was in that moment that Peter Hastings walked in, the smile sliding off of his face as he saw the scene before him.

* * *

"Your mother and I were both getting our degrees. She was in Boston. Ken and Jessica had an apartment on Willowby." her father explained desolately, not able to meet the eyes of his hurt daughter.

But Spencer wasn't backing down. He deserved to relive this. He deserved to feel shame. He had lied to her her entire life. She always knew her family wasn't perfect, despite their attempts to prove otherwise, but she never thought it would stoop this low. "Then what happened?" she pressed.

Peter sighed. "What happened is… I made a series of very poor decisions."

Spencer scoffed. "You make it sound like a business deal. This wasn't a bad investment- you cheated, and you got someone else's wife pregnant! That's what happened!"

"Yes." he agreed solemnly. It was a lot harder to admit this all out loud with his wife standing a few feet away. She already knew, but the past still hurt.

"And she kept the baby." Spencer stated, already knowing the answer, but needing him to continue.

"She kept the baby. She lied to her husband. They moved to Atlanta. I married your mother." he said simply.

"Just like nothing happened." Spencer practically growled. "And that was the last you saw of them? Ever?"

Her father sighed. "No. I may not have shown it, but Jason is my son. I… felt a pull to see him. I knew it would ruin too many lives to come clean or ask to be involved in his life, and I was still harboring the secret at this point, so I had to find my own way. You were…five. I had a business trip in the area and drove to the address on the last letter Jessica had sent me. The first time I saw Jason he was in front of that house. He was riding his bike." he said softly, almost affectionately, but it was laced with pain.

Spencer was ruthless at this point. Ruin lives to be involved in HIS son's life? Yeah. That's how the world works. "And how did that make you feel." she practically snarled.

Peter looked down in shame.

Melissa entered the house in that moment and her smile too faded much like their father's had in the mirroring action. "What's going on in here?"

Spencer shot a disgusted look at her father. Never had she been more upset with her parents, and that was saying something. This… this was just too far. It was confirmed that she had had a brother her entire life and they had known and chosen not to tell her. What gave them that right to deny her her rightful sibling?

Her parents remained silence, and Spencer had had enough. She let out a humorless laugh. "Oh, should I tell her then? Surprise news Melissa, we've had a BROTHER our entire lives! That they never bothered to enlighten us with because Dad had to protect the family name from any dents! Is the family crest shining brighter now? No imperfections, right? Because Hastings can't have faults, right? That is not in our blood."

"Spencer-" Veronica began in supposed understanding as Melissa's eyes went round at the confession, but Spencer kept going.

"Oh don't forget to leave out the part where Jason didn't know either until recently! Don't forget to tell her that I _never_ would've known if _he _hadn't put two and two together! The only reason I found out is because my BOYFRIEND works for him and JASON recognized my last name! Do you know how rewarding it is to get the biggest bomb of your life dropped on you in front of the guy you're trying to impress and a stranger who apparently you share blood with? It's just GRAND, let me tell you."

"Spen-"

"What I don't get…" Spencer continued, louder than her parents' feeble attempts at trying to explain their pathetic reasoning. "…is why you didn't tell us about this when you came clean about your affair last year. Or were you too afraid we wouldn't want you around at all and then you'd have to explain to all your fancy friends that you _fucked up_ big time."

Her parents both winced at the curse.

"Spencer, please. Stay at home tonight. Let's talk about this all together-"

But Spencer looked like she had been slapped. "What is _home_?! That's a joke." she spat, before giving up on dealing with this bullshit any longer and storming out of the house, slamming the glass door behind her so hard it rattled in its frame.

Breathing hard and feeling the oncoming sobs of destroyed emotions clambering out of her insides, Spencer threw the car into drive and sped away from the house she once called home. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

* * *

Toby approached his door anxiously, hoping that his visitor was who he had been longing to see all day. There she was, forcing a fake smile to pretend like she was fine and this was just another random get-together.

"Spencer! Are you okay? I've been worried sick. I called you about a dozen times…" Toby told her, pulling her into a kiss.

She quickly pecked him back but broke away before he could really enjoy it. "I'm fine. I'm sorry for running off like that earlier. I know I didn't handle things at Jason's the best."

Toby detected the subtle difficulty Spencer had saying his name. He felt a pang of sympathy as he took her coat, wondering what he could do. Her body language and short tone was indicating that she had a guard up. He frowned, not liking that she was trying to be strong even around him.

"Don't be ridiculous, there are no expectations on handling that sort of surprise. Are you okay?" he asked gently, attempting to wrap an arm around her waist.

But she shook out of his hold quickly, plastering on another fake smile. "Of course I am. I was hoping we could do that circle puzzle tonight that I brought over a few weeks ago."

Spencer was already heading to the living room couch to start clearing the coffee table.

Toby sighed. He figured she was going to avoid the topic, but he wished she wouldn't. It was obvious she needed to talk about it. He had a pretty good idea on where she had headed after she flew away from Jason's but he wished she'd confide in him. It's not like he had never seen her upset before and couldn't handle it. He hadn't completely screwed up in those times, had he?

Seeing her expectant, and subtly begging, face he followed orders and dug the game out of the closet.

* * *

About an hour in, Spencer had barely said a full sentence to him. He felt her growing more and more tense but any time he tried to put a comforting hand on her knee or an arm around her shoulder, she'd subtly pull out of reach or stand to grab a piece too far away.

Toby knew it wasn't about him, but he had to admit it hurt his feelings a little that she wouldn't even let him be close to her. He had been longing all day to hold her, to be near her again, to make sure she was all right. The more she pulled away, the more he knew that she was far from it. He wanted to help her take that pain away, ease it somehow, but she wasn't letting him. He had always known her to be stubborn, but he wished she would give it up just this one time.

"This puzzle sucks." she growled under her breath as she tried the seventeenth "perfect" piece in the slot only to find it not fit yet again.

"Spencer, do you want to talk about earlier-" Toby began, knowing her frustration at the challenging puzzle was only amplified because of earlier events.

"Pass me that piece, would you? I think that might work." she interrupted, making it clear that he should drop the subject.

"Spencer…" Toby sighed.

"Toby. Please. I don't feel like talking about it. Can we just drop it?" she asked, sounding exhausted.

He nodded and hung his head a little like a scolded puppy. He hated that she was hurting and that there was nothing that he could do about it.

When the twenty-third piece didn't fit either, Spencer tossed it in frustration, causing it to skitter across the table and onto the floor. He watched her bite her quivering bottom lip and knew she was seconds away from breaking down.

As much as he knew that she needed to let out her emotions, he also knew that was the last thing she wanted right now. It also didn't take a genius to figure out that she had done plenty of tear-shedding before she had arrived. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffier than usual.

Toby's hands came up to rest on her shoulders, massaging gently as she pulled herself together.

She groaned delightfully at the sensation, immediately distracted.

"You seem tense." he teased, referring to more than just her mental state. It was true. Her muscles were like refrigerated butter—barely changing shape even as he applied pressure.

She chuckled slightly as she relaxed into his motions. "Yeah, I was born that way." she quipped amusedly.

Toby leaned closer so his breath tickled the shell of her ear. "Maybe I can help…"

Too happy that she was letting him touch her, he took advantage of her giving him the opportunity to distract and lifted her shirt slowly from behind. Before she could question his motives, he let his lips fall to the base of her spine and began kissing a delicate trail up the subtle bumps underneath her skin.

He felt Spencer relax further, arching her back slightly at the sensation as his hands continued to massage circles into the tight tissue surrounding her collarbone.

He hadn't even reached the halfway point when Spencer whipped around and crashed her mouth against his eagerly.

All too happy to oblige, Toby dragged her legs gently out from under her so he could lie her back on the couch.

It hadn't been _that_ long since they had gotten carried away, but he still had missed this unrestrained side to her. She was currently fisting his t-shirt in her hand, trying to drag it off of him as their tongues battled.

Without meaning to, Toby adjusted himself above her to get more comfortable, his knee nudging between her legs and causing her to let out a throaty moan.

Taking advantage of her exposed neck, he dove down to do a thorough exploration of the area with his lips. Spencer's free hand, the one not trying to strip him, found his hair and she let out another vocal approval when his knee rubbed deliberately where she was needing. Her legs spread further apart to welcome the friction.

He knew he should slow things down, but hearing Spencer experiencing pleasure caused by him was just too much of a pull. His hand ran down the top of her thigh to work on getting her leggings out of the way so he could have a more direct approach.

But fate intervened and her cell phone on the table began ringing obnoxiously.

Panting hard, Toby awkwardly got off of her as if they had just gotten caught in the family living room.

Spencer even adjusted her hair before looking at the Caller ID. She sighed and hit the 'ignore' button.

"Even when I live on my own, my family is still a bunch of cockblockers." she muttered irritably.

Toby would've laughed if it wasn't for her face falling immediately after.

"I wonder if Jason does the same. I mean, now that my family is bigger maybe that doesn't apply…" she began but her breathing began hitching halfway through and Toby watched in agony as the tears pooled in her eyes at the reminder of the earlier shocking news.

As the sobs began breaking free from the wall of stone she had tried desperately to build, Toby dragged her into his lap and held her close, wishing the world would give her a break soon. She didn't deserve any of this.

He only hoped that, with his help, she could get through this too like she all the other obstacles that had been thrown her way.

* * *

Spencer had cried herself into exhaustion in his arms. Toby's heart felt heavier than it ever had. It reminded him too much of a few months before when she had found out the guy she loved had cheated on her with her biggest rival. She was so destroyed then, and he honestly couldn't tell which time was harder on her. The parts of her life she had always believed in had crumbled down around her and he knew her strength, however great, was weakened now. It was all just too much and she couldn't bottle it like she used to.

Toby rubbed her upper arm soothingly before deciding to scoop her up into his arms to carry her to his bed for proper sleep. Sleepily, Spencer looped her arms around his neck and buried her face into him. On reflex, Toby pressed an affectionate kiss to her forehead before crossing the loft and entering his bedroom.

He lay her delicately down in the sheets but she forced her eyes open with difficulty. "Toby…?"

Her boyfriend settled next to her. "What is it, Spence?" he asked softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Spencer looked down in shame, tracing patterns with her fingertip onto the soft comforter. "I'm sorry about how I treated you at Jason's, and earlier tonight. I just…"

Her lips trembled and she stopped talking to get a hold of herself.

Toby tilted her chin up so he could press a loving kiss to her mouth. "Don't apologize. I know you were upset. It wasn't about me."

If anything, his sweet understanding only made her want to cry harder.

"Does he hate me?" she asked in a small voice, refusing to look up.

Toby was surprised. "Of course not. He's just as torn up as everything as you are. He's worried he ruined things between you before they even began."

Spencer sighed. "He hasn't. It... it wasn't about him either. I just... I don't know how to feel about this whole thing. It's all too much right now." she admitted.

Toby felt another tug at his heart at how defeated she sounded, but he kept it together for her sake.

"C'mere." he murmured and she cuddled into his side again, planting a delicate kiss to his cheek.

"You're the best, Toby, seriously. I love you so much."

Toby put a hand over his heart, fake-offended. "_I _wanted to say that first!" he teased.

Finally, she cracked up and shoved him playfully, grinning. She hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him into a half-Nelson, ruffling his hair.

Unfortunately, she forgot that her boyfriend could probably bench-press two of her, and he quickly switched the power-holding so she was lying on her back with him hovering above her.

She giggled, liking this new position a little too much. She bit the corner of her lip, her eyes playful, remembering what had been interrupted earlier.

He raised an eyebrow at her, knowing that look. It was the look that signaled he would be at her mercy very soon, in the best way possible. But he wasn't sure that was the best idea with her underlying emotional state. The last thing he would want is to take advantage of her.

"I've got an idea. I'll be right back. Give me a couple minutes." he told her, kissing her long on the mouth before slipping away into the open space of the loft.

Slightly disappointed, Spencer adjusted herself so she was sitting up against the headboard. After a few minutes of playing _Word Hero_ on her phone, she was feeling a little bored.

Thankfully, Toby returned in that moment with two large mugs and a DVD.

"Coffee?" she couldn't help but ask brightly, her hands outstretched eagerly.

Toby laughed. "No. I made you a hot chocolate float." he told her as he carefully passed the hot beverage to her.

Her eyes lit up even more when she saw the creamy hot chocolate had two scoops of chocolate ice cream in it. She took a deep drink, making sure to steal some of the cold treat in her gulp. "Oh my god! This is so good! Toby, you could even give Jenna a run for her money!"

"Really?! You think?!" Toby mocked fake-excitedly, before cracking up as she threw a pillow at him, giggling into her mug. "Me and my mom used to make them when I was a kid. As if I needed more sugar."

Spencer smiled at the affectionate tone he always sported when speaking of his late mother. Seeing the TV screen light up with a familiar scene, her smile broadened. "Tangled? _Your _favorite." she teased in return.

Toby made a raspberry noise with his lips. "Hardly. I just know this movie always cheers you up."

She snuggled into him as soon as he returned to her side. "You're right. But I don't need a movie when I've got you." she promised, kissing his neck lovingly.

He smiled as his arm curved around her waist to hold her closer.

Spencer leaned her head on his shoulder, occasionally sneaking glances up at her wonderful boyfriend. She couldn't believe that this man was hers. She couldn't help but smile broadly when she saw him laugh at the animated chameleon Pascal's actions onscreen.

He could deny it all he wanted, but Toby secretly loved that movie.

Finally turning away from admiring the man whose arms she was wrapped in, Spencer tuned in to her favorite Disney movie.

Toby took this opportunity to do a similar admiring, also appreciating the view. As the movie went on and he felt her relax further into him, her mood an obvious complete one-eighty since she had arrived earlier, he felt himself relax too. He was glad he could provide her this kind of ease after such an insane day. He wanted to be that person for her; he wanted to spend every day of his life making her smile and laugh. There was nothing he could imagine wanting to do more than spending a lifetime letting this woman know how special she was, how special she made him feel about himself even.

Spencer's face lit up in time with the floating lanterns at the climax scene of the movie and Toby had the beginnings of an idea form in his head.


	14. Chapter 14

Beautiful readers, I can't thank you enough for sticking by me after all of this time. Finals kicked my butt, I came home for the holidays and had a lot of people to see, I was tutoring like crazy the past few weeks and I had some medical stuff to take care of. My apologies for taking so long to update. I'd list the many excuses I have, but that would take too long and you want to get to reading the chapter, right?

Love you all. This one's kind of scattered but some things get resolved. This story will be ending in a few more chapters, but I've enjoyed writing this story so much because you guys are the best audience ever. Can't thank you enough for all of your kind words/messages.

If you're not already, and are interested, follow me on twitter phoenix9648 :) I love to ramble about nothing on there too.

For all those that read Backpack Song - I am hoping to update before Christmas but things are obviously really busy right now. I will as soon as I can though, I promise.

For all those that don't know, Minin is the name of Keegan Allen's cat :) I love how much they love each other, so I had to include him in this story somehow ;)

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

The snow was finally starting to clear up some and, in another month or so, they'd get started on building the fence.

For now, the most of Jason and Toby's work remained inside the warm house, which was perfectly fine for the two men. Thankfully, the weather was rather mild today so they could do their sawing outside to save the dust blowing through the rooms of Jason's place. It would save him from vacuuming the entire thing at the end of the day.

Toby hadn't pushed Jason to talk about how he was feeling since the news of Spencer, and Melissa, being his long-lost family. It had only been a couple weeks since the big reveal and Jason had avoided asking Toby about her like he often did. The man knew full well the girl was Toby's world, so their days had become quieter, only making small talk or telling old stories from before the brunette entered either of their lives.

But today things changed. Jason passed him a slat of wood and corrected his throat. "So… how's Spencer been?"

Toby contemplated it as he positioned the plank on the sawing table. "She's been… dealing. She really had no idea so it was more the shock and betrayal from her parents that she was the most upset about."

"So she doesn't hate me?" Jason asked, looking suddenly hopeful.

Toby smiled a little, feeling bad that the man had been so concerned over that. "Of course not. She's just furious with her parents for keeping you from her all of these years. She's upset over how the news came about and how she handled it too." he explained, remembering the way Spencer had claimed, after he gently pushed her to try calling Jason, that she was too embarrassed because of the way she exploded at his place the week before.

Jason settled on the stairs, mulling it over. "I want to get to know her, properly… but I don't want to push her before she's ready. I just… I didn't know if she wanted that too, or if she'd rather keep pretending I don't exist."

"I think she wants the same thing, Jason. But Spencer… she's stubborn, especially when her feelings are hurt. It's not you that she's upset with, but you're involved in the overall equation. Give her some time and she will come to you. She knows how to find you. I've been trying to work on her a bit, but she still needs to work through some things on her own before she dives into this." Toby told him apologetically.

Jason nodded. "No, I understand that. I didn't expect this to be easy. I'm glad she isn't running away from me or refusing to get to know me, but now that I know who she is… it just makes me want to get to know her more. I mean, it's easier than getting to know a total stranger, right?"

Toby nodded in understanding. "Of course. I think that will help her move forward too. She already likes you and knows you a little so it's less intimidating, but also more pressure in some ways. You guys will work things out in time."

His encouraging words were cut off by the same black cat from the month before running up and rubbing against his legs.

"That cat loves you." Jason laughed, happy for the distraction.

Toby smiled as he leaned down to pet the cat. It let out a shrill whine and he saw a fresh cut on its back. He frowned.

"You know, I asked around. None of the neighbors have claimed him. I'd take him in but I'm allergic…" Jason said slowly, pointedly, and Toby looked up at him in surprise as the cat accepted belly scratches, apparently forgiving him for his painful stroke earlier.

"You think _I _should take him in?" he asked incredulously.

Jason shrugged, laughing a little. "Well he seems to be quite smitten with you. He obviously needs a good home and you live alone… I don't trust those animal shelters."

Toby had never owned a pet, but he had always wanted one. The apartment could use a little more life in it, and when Spencer wasn't there, he did find it very quiet. He could afford it, especially with his extra work with Jason now, and the cat really did need a decent home.

Jason watched Toby consider it and smirked a little to himself. He knew that the decision was already made.

"You know what, let's end here today. You should probably make a vet appointment." Jason suggested amusedly.

Toby exhaled. "All right. Come on little buddy, you're coming with me."

The black cat nuzzled into his legs when he got up and seemed to understand since he followed Toby to his truck. Toby held the door open and before he could bend down to lift the animal, he had already jumped in and settled comfortably in the passenger seat.

Jason laughed. "I think that's what he's been waiting for since you guys met."

Toby grinned at him before shaking his head in disbelief and climbing into the car.

* * *

Toby was grateful that the people at the veterinarian clinic didn't ask too many questions or think he was some sort of cat thief. They were really helpful and immediately took the cat in to get his wounds tended to. The wide-eyed animal didn't want Toby to abandon him with the strange cloaked people so he accompanied the cat to the room while the vet worked away.

"He seems quite attached to you already." the doctor noted amusedly as the newly dubbed Minin nuzzled Toby's hand.

Toby couldn't help but smile already. The feeling was pretty mutual. "He was hanging around the work site I'm currently working on and just approached me. I don't know what drew him to me."

Dr. Connors bandaged up Minin's bad back leg. "Animals have a sixth sense when it comes to determining character. He obviously realized that you have a good heart, otherwise you wouldn't be here with him now."

Minin meowed loudly when the vet applied some disinfectant on the gash on his back.

Toby instinctively rubbed behind his ears and Minin quieted right down, purring into his new owner's hands. "Are you able to tell what kind of animal hurt him? He's had new cuts since the first time I saw him."

The doctor grimaced. "I'm afraid they aren't from another animal. He looks to have been abused by a person based on these lacerations, probably his previous owner and the reason he ran away. If you look at the jaggedness of this cut here… I'd say that was from glass, possibly a broken bottle, which would lead me to guess an alcoholic in a rage."

Toby continued stroking the cat, looking down sadly as the new perspective sunk in.

Dr. Connors watched him carefully. "If you ask me… I'd say he figured you of all people could understand what he went through, in some form or the other." She finished giving Minin his final shots and checked to make sure all of the bandages were well fastened. "He's all yours and free to go."

Toby thanked her generously and Minin jumped to curl around his neck. Momentarily confused, he looked back at the woman. "Is that… is that normal?"

She laughed. "You'll learn soon enough… cats are quite unpredictable. He probably just wants to be as close to you as he can in such a foreign place."

Toby nodded uncertainly. "Okay… well… thanks again for everything."

"Of course. I'll see you again in a few weeks to get off those bandages and hopefully see that he's gained some weight. If you run into any problems or have any questions, don't hesitate to give us a call." she told him warmly.

He nodded and, with all of his new supplies for his new roommate, he headed home.

* * *

Toby set up the few items in his loft and noticed that it did look much less empty now. He didn't own a lot of stuff on his own, at least not yet, and the scratching post and cat bed made it look homier. Minin was all too happy to bound around exploring and Toby had to chuckle to himself at the cat's antics. He certainly was a character.

Minin trotted gracefully over when Toby put down the food and water bowls for him on the floor next to the end of his counters. The black cat immediately dove in and Toby felt a pang of sadness wondering how long it had been since the cat had been properly fed.

Toby finished putting away the rest of the new treats, ointments, toys, and various supplies before settling down in the armchair. Minin finished eating and gladly leapt to snuggle into his lap. The feline rolled over to lie on his back so his new best friend could rub his belly.

There was a knock on the door and Minin shot into Toby's bedroom and cowered under the bed.

With a sigh, not sure what the best approach to handle that sort of situation, he headed to answer the door.

Spencer smiled happily at him when he opened it and leaned up to press a tender kiss to his mouth.

He was a little distracted worrying over the scared animal in the other room to get into it as much as she expected, so her face fell and she watched him carefully. "Is everything okay?"

He smiled and took her coat as she entered the apartment. "Yeah… I actually have some news."

Spencer felt nervous. His voice was so neutral she felt as though bad news was imminent.

"Just tell me." she said, squeezing his hands in hers so he would look her straight on.

He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "You know that cat at Jason's? The hurt black one? Well, I sort of-"

Spencer suddenly yelped in surprise and looked down to see the furry creature rubbing against her legs and then circling Toby's like he was claiming him.

Her eyes went wide. "You… you took in a stray?"

Toby was worried she was going to be mad and opened his mouth to explain when she burst out laughing.

"Oh Toby. _You would._ I knew you loved that cat." she said amusedly, crouching down to let Minin sniff her hand. He seemed to approve since he gave her soft kitten licks, the sandpaper feel of his tongue causing her to giggle.

She stood up and let her hands run up her boyfriend's chest and loop around his neck. "You just have the biggest heart and I'm crazy about every inch of it." she murmured to him, letting one hand slide back down to trace patterns over the spot where his heart lay underneath.

Toby rubbed her lower back, tugging her forward so he could kiss her long on the mouth. But as soon as her lips were on his, he craved more. She was so intoxicating.

His hands ran down to cup her thighs and he lifted her so she could loop her legs around his waist.

She broke away to giggle into his neck. "Toby, we have an audience now." she teased, nodding towards the curious cat that was observing them as if they were doing some sort of alien ritual.

"He doesn't mind." Toby assured her, letting his lips travel behind her ear.

She moaned on cue. He always found her weak spot. "Toby…" she tried to protest.

"Let me appreciate my girlfriend for a few minutes…" he replied against her skin, his fingers massaging her shoulder blades as she gave in to his advances.

She tipped his mouth back to hers, kissing him lovingly. "Aria and Ezra will be here soon… remember? We are having a little double date night to try to help the mending of their relationship now that they're at least exchanging words…?"

"Spencer… let me make you feel good first." he whispered into her collarbone and she sighed in acquiesce as he carried her to his bedroom, shutting the door behind them with his foot.

He laid her carefully on the blankets, her legs letting go of him so he could shuffle along her body easier. He unbuttoned her blouse and brushed his lips gently down her exposed abdomen, causing her to hum in pleasure. Peppering around her bellybutton with even softer kisses, he started to undo her pants.

Toby slid back up to kiss her mouth as his hand lowered to dive into uncharted territory.

That is until a knock at the door interrupted.

He groaned and let his forehead fall to her shoulder in annoyance.

Spencer giggled at him, even though she too was disappointed, and raked her hands affectionately through his hair. "We'll continue this later."

"I don't want to continue later; I want to continue _now_." he whined, but pushed himself off of her as she began redressing.

"You get the door. I just need a minute to look like they didn't just interrupt what they actually did." she said amusedly, stepping into the bathroom to fix her appearance.

Toby got the stink eye from Minin for locking him out of the room and he rolled his eyes at the cat before opening the door to welcome their friends inside.

* * *

"Spencer, will you take a break from mothering the pair of them? If you give them anymore refills, they're going to start sweating it out." Toby teased his girlfriend when she returned to the kitchen.

She sighed. "Well, what else am I supposed to do? They're barely talking and people can probably feel the tension back in Rosewood for crying out loud." she said exasperatedly, placing the bottle on the counter.

Toby rubbed her upper arms affectionately from behind, pulling her into him. "Relax, Spence. It's a bumpy road right now, but they love each other. They'll work things out; it'll just take time."

She suddenly straightened. "We should start sneaking alcohol into this. Alcohol always makes people happy! They'll make out and make up! It's a genius plan!"

There was another knock on the door and Toby headed over to answer it. "Spencer, I don't think spiking their drinks is going to help anything-"

He stopped in surprise at the sight of the person in the door. "Jason. Hi."

The dirty-blonde smiled sheepishly and held up the envelope in his hands. "With all that was happening today, I forgot to give you your paycheque."

Toby blanched. "Oh! Right, of course; thank you. You didn't have to come all of this way." He glanced back to see Spencer toying with the idea of approaching Ezra and Aria with the bottle again and knew they needed a distraction. "You know what? Why don't you come in for a few minutes? You can see how Minin's settled in and see some of the changes I made. Plus it'd be great if you could meet my friends Ezra and Aria."

"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt-"

Toby stepped forward to speak in undertone to him. "Please get in here and help me break up the awkward tension in the room that could suffocate an entire city."

Jason smirked and nodded, blanching when he saw Spencer.

Spencer's reaction was similar. She went white as a ghost.

Toby knew he would get hell for it later, but he also knew that Spencer needed the physical reminder that Jason existed since she had been avoiding that entire concept like the plague.

"Ezra, Aria, this is Jason. Jason, these are my friends." he introduced. "And you already know Spencer."

Spencer waved awkwardly from the kitchen, shooting Toby daggers when Jason turned away bashfully.

"Um, hi. Nice to meet you." Jason said, offering a hand to shake.

Both Ezra and Aria hadn't missed the tense exchange between Spencer and Jason and it clicked exactly who this man was.

"Oh, _you're_ Jason! Spencer's-" Ezra shut up when Aria jabbed him with her elbow. "Um, you sold Toby's truck to Spencer." he corrected, flashing a smile quickly to cover up his faux pas.

He nodded and, seeing that Toby had abandoned him momentarily to go grovel to his girlfriend, continued. "That would be me. How do you know Toby?"

"We work together. Downstairs actually." Ezra explained.

"And I'm Spencer's best friend. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jason. Toby says you're pretty easy to work for." Aria said charmingly as she shook his hand.

Jason smiled. "I'm in no rush to get stuff done. I just want it done right."

"I think that's smart. True art takes time, right?" she said easily.

Ezra wanted to roll his eyes. He excused himself from the smiley, flirty pair and went over to interrupt the couple fight in the kitchen.

"Don't sit there and act like you didn't know what you were doing! I told you I'm not ready to get to know him properly yet and here you are thrusting him on me like he's got an expiry date-"

"Spencer, the man is hurting and he came all of this way to drop off a _cheque_. He's obviously lonely and he's my friend now. I thought it would be a good time to introduce him to a few friends so he feels more welcome. Plus you were about to drown the two of them with all of your refreshments-"

"For god sakes, Toby, we're trying to help them mend their relationship not put out a billboard to all of Philadelphia that they're having problems. And if he's that lonely why didn't _he _take Minin-"

"He's allergic to cats!"

Spencer finally stopped and picked up her drink. "Of course he is. So is my dad." she said irritably, taking a swig and wishing it was something stronger than vitamin water.

"Spencer…" Toby said patiently, squeezing her hand in his. "I'm sorry if this felt like a personal attack to you. I didn't do it to torture you. I just… I spend every weekend with the man and he obviously needs more human contact. He spends all of his time locked up in a big house in a remote place. He doesn't have any friends yet. Forgive me for knowing what it feels like to be a stranger in a new place."

She sighed, squeezing his hand back. "Why do you have to be so goddamn nice to everybody?" she grumbled, hating that she couldn't stay mad at him when he was being so kind-hearted to others. As she said to him earlier, his big heart was the thing that really pulled her into falling for him.

Toby noticed Ezra had approached and looked at him in concern. "Everything all right?"

Ezra rolled his eyes. "Got any hard liquor?"

"Excellent idea!" Spencer cheered, moving to sift through Toby's cupboards before he pulled her back.

"Ezra, you guys just need to start _actually_ talking. Walking around the issue isn't helping anything."

"Yeah, well either are buff, dirty-blonde guys who look like somebody Aria can _save_…" he said irritably, glaring over at Jason who looked to be in a deep conversation with his sort of girlfriend.

* * *

Meanwhile, Aria and Jason were left to themselves and he hadn't been oblivious to the way Ezra had looked irritated by his presence.

"Was it something I said?" he asked her, feeling awkward as he saw Spencer and Toby too looked to be in a heated discussion. He was really the best at messing things up…

Aria placed a hand on his forearm gently. "Trust me, it's not you. He's not the happiest with me."

"Ah I see. So are you guys working things out?" he asked.

Aria shrugged. There was something about Jason's calm nature that made her feel spurred to be honest, even though she barely knew him. Maybe it was because he was an uninvolved third party, where even with Spencer she knew that Toby and Ezra's happiness were at the back of her mind when she was listening to her. "I… I don't know if I want to work things out. I'm… I'm really mad at him."

Jason quirked an eyebrow at her. "Oh?"

Aria launched the whole lengthy tale in as short of a version as she could. She explained about Ezra being her dad's TA, the school's policy on TA-student relationships, and all the ways they, mostly he, could have prevented the chaos. When she was finished, she waited for Jason to speak.

He leaned back against the arm of the chair. "Sounds to me like you just want him to admit that he was wrong."

Aria blanched, shocked by his conclusion. "What?"

"Well, you haven't said anything about how bad it would be to risk either of your position's in the university or what chaos would happen if your dad found out or anything about how it would go wrong. You just seem upset about the fact that you guys weren't prepared for that surprise."

Aria pondered this for a moment. "I guess… I guess I just got wrapped up in that." Quickly catching up to what he was saying, she got defensive. "But I mean… so many things could go wrong! I don't want to get kicked out, or have him lose his job and reputation-"

"So you do care about him?" Jason prompted.

"Of course I do." Aria defended.

"But you're fine with sitting in class and having him teach you every day but not be with him."

"Um… well…"

"So he's not worth the risk? You don't feel like you've finally found something real and the reason you're so upset about this whole thing is because you're scared of losing him?"

Aria was silent as she absorbed this. She opened her mouth to respond but then closed it again.

Jason smiled, glad she seemed to be listening. "Aria, listen. I'm not going to pretend like I know you or him. But sometimes it's easier to be mad at the people we love because we don't know what else to be mad at and we know they'll love us even when we're being total pricks. If you love him as much as you sound like you do, I think you've already decided what you want."

She nodded. Maybe she had known all along and that really was what had scared her so much, that she was willing to take such a huge risk for love and for one person. It could affect her entire future, and his.

"Hey, thanks for listening, and your advice. I think I really needed that reality check."

Jason let her pull him into a hug, squeezing her gently, amused by how tiny she was. "No problem. Love is worth the fight, Aria, if it's real. It's bigger than any stupid university policy."

She smiled. "Have you ever been in love?"

He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "Honestly, I thought I was. And then I fell out of love. But I've never had what they have, so I think I'm still waiting for the real thing." he explained, nodding back towards Spencer and Toby.

Aria smiled as she thought of her two friends. They really were the definition of soul mates. That had been clear since the first day she had seen them interact.

"It was really nice talking to you. You should join us all the next time we have a get-together or something. I mean, once you and Spencer work things out." she added quickly, not wanting him to feel any pressure.

He looked to the floor, casting a glance over at his half-sister who was now laughing with Toby and Ezra. "Any advice on how to do that?"

Aria smiled sympathetically. "Spencer is stubborn as hell and puts a guard around her heart because it's been bruised so many times. But she has a big heart and she's always needed a real sibling in her life. She really does want to get to know you, Jason. She's wearing down. I think after today especially you'll hear from her. Just be patient. She acts strong but it's a front sometimes."

He nodded. It sort of alarmed him at how much the description of Spencer could apply to himself. "I better head out. Thanks for the advice."

She nodded, waving him off.

Toby noticed Jason heading towards the door and moved to say goodbye but Spencer had been secretly watching the exchange between Aria and him. She saw Aria gesture Ezra over to talk and felt a thrill of hope fill her heart. She pushed past Toby to talk to him.

Jason turned in surprise when she met him at the door.

Spencer smiled uneasily. "Look, I'm sorry I've been avoiding you. This whole thing… it's just so new and confusing to me. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it all. But I want to make this work. Do you maybe want to do dinner on Wednesday? We could talk… try to get to know each other properly. I can tell you all about your other half-sister…" she added with a wicked grin.

Jason laughed, remembering Toby explaining how she and Melissa didn't get along. "That sounds great, Spencer. Thank you."

She nodded and they said their goodbyes as he slipped out of the door.

Toby approached her, eyebrows raised, and she ducked her head shyly. "You were right. I should really give him a chance already." she mumbled.

He laughed at her dislike of admitting she was wrong about something and pulled her close to plant a kiss on the top of her head.

"Looks like that isn't the only relationship that got some mending from this visit." Toby teased, smiling as he observed Ezra and Aria kissing joyfully in the living room.

* * *

The celebration ended and, because of school the next day and the rain storm raging outside, Spencer decided against staying overnight at the loft. The couple shared a very passionate goodbye before she disappeared into the pouring rain.

Minin seemed very comfortable with his new home and Toby was glad that the small get-together earlier hadn't frightened him. Toby wasn't sure how much experience he had being around people.

The black cat leapt to snuggle into Toby's side as he pulled out his favorite book. Spencer had jokingly given him the French translation for his birthday, teasing that because of the A they both got in that class, he would be able to read it no problem. But he much preferred _The Catcher in the Rye_ to _L'Attrape Couer_.

The fourth knock of the day on his front door surprised him. It was nearly ten p.m. and Spencer and the others had left long ago now. Maybe she changed her mind about staying over?

But when he opened the door, there was a different brunette standing before him, drenched to the bone. Based on the state of her eyes, she had been crying hard.

He stared at her an extra beat in surprise.

"Emily?"


	15. Chapter 15

Hello beauties :) I'll try to keep this short- first a thank you for all of your wonderful responses and endless patience. I know I suck at updating. My muse up and abandoned me for the last month or so so I know this chapter is FAR overdue. It was a lot harder to narrow down than expected, and it is a rather controversial subject, so please bare with me and try not to sharpen those pitchforks and torches quite yet. I just didn't want to have anything repetitive and the show didn't really showcase very much Emaya drama besides the inevitable, heartbreaking end. This was just a way for me to bring in some other characters and set up some plans for my third installment of this series, which my ideas are already brewing for :)

However, that one I won't be posting for quite some time. Obviously this needs to be finished first but I also have plenty of Troigan on the way. For the lovely one who sent me a request via tumblr, I promise you I am working on it! I also have some other ones I've been meaning to write/get out, like my own personal version of Troian and Keegan's keek, etc.

ANYWAYS I'll stop rambling now and let you get on to the longer-than-usual-because-you-deserve-it chapter. Forgive the lack of Spoby, this is mostly a chapter to get out my never-ending-Tomily-bestie-relationship feels!

Thanks again! Much love xo

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

Toby simply gaped at her in surprise before he came to his senses.

"Come in, please." he said quickly before she could explain why she was there. Frankly, it didn't matter. She must be freezing.

"I'm so sorry to just barge in like this and at this time of night-"

She jumped in surprise when Minin meowed at her, prowling in an arc a couple feet away, clearly wary of the new visitor.

"When did you get a cat?" she asked in confusion, cocking her head, momentarily distracted.

He took her coat from her and hung it up. "Um, today actually."

"He looks pretty beat up… did you rescue him?" she asked, crouching down and waiting for the wary animal to approach her in his own time.

"The vet presumed that he actually escaped from an abused home. He was hanging around Jason's and took a liking to me for some reason. Living alone is pretty quiet so I figured why not. He needed some fixing up, but he's a sweet little guy." Toby explained, unable to help the affection for his new friend from seeping into his voice.

Emily smiled as Minin sniffed her knuckles. She moved to pet him but he cowered back before continuing the same cycle. She giggled at him. "He seems sweet. He's got beautiful features."

Almost as if understanding her words, Minin stood up a little straighter, puffing out his chest as he trotted closer to nuzzle against her shins.

Toby laughed. "I guess he approves of you too."

Emily's phone went off, startling Minin into diving towards Toby's room again, and with a sigh she pulled it out. She bit her lip and hit ignore.

He was sad to see the tears building and knew that something big was bothering her. As curious as he was to why she had shown up on his doorstep of all places, he knew she needed a few minutes to gather herself.

"How about I lend you some towels so you can take a hot shower and _not_ get hypothermia? Spencer always leaves some extra lounging clothes here that I can give you to change into. We'll throw your soaked stuff in the laundry and then you can tell me what it is that's bothering you." he suggested, digging in the bathroom cupboard for some clean towels.

Emily smiled gratefully at him as she accepted the proffered linen. "Toby, I really appreciate all of this. I know I'm just your girlfriend's best friend-"

But Toby interrupted her and grabbed her shoulders so she would look him straight on. "Em, we may have met through my girlfriend but you are _my_ friend too. I care about you regardless of your relationship with Spencer. Or did our frappuccino bonding mean nothing to you?" he asked, fake-offended.

She giggled, shoving him playfully. "All right, all right. I'm going to shower, Mr. Coffee-Café-Pro."

"Hey Em, one more thing." Toby said, causing her to turn around.

He spontaneously pulled her into a close hug and she melted into his embrace, resting her head against his strong shoulder. "Whatever it is, we'll work through it. I promise."

She nodded, but her throat tightened at how sweet he was being. She didn't realize how badly she needed a hug until he had his arms around her.

But Toby seemed to understand. "Shower. Spencer's clothes are in the middle shelf there if you want to pick through them." he explained before leaving her be to go set up the couch.

* * *

Emily was pretty quick in the shower and threw her hair up into a messy bun before rejoining Toby in the living room. She chuckled to herself when she saw him playing with Minin on the floor. New cat or not, they were both already smitten with each other.

Toby finally noticed her presence and smiled sheepishly before climbing up on the couch and patting next to him so she would join him. She gladly snuggled under the blankets.

"You're probably wondering what brought me here…" she started off awkwardly.

He leaned back but didn't respond, just waited for her to continue.

"I'm sort of… avoiding Maya right now." she began.

"Is that who called you earlier?" he asked simply, no judgment or accusatory tone to it.

She nodded. "I know I should just tell her what happened… but I'm scared she'll never speak to me again."

Toby reached out to squeeze her hand. "Emily, Maya loves you. You're human. You're allowed to make mistakes."

She grimaced. "But this… I don't think she'll get over it…" Emily inhaled. "Okay, it all started a few days ago…"

* * *

_"Emily! Emily, come here a sec!" the sun-kissed blonde called friendlily, waving her over to the table._

_The raven-haired girl followed orders eagerly, glad that the other girl had remembered her name and feeling, not for the first time, that she had made the right decision in joining the school's LGBT group the previous week._

"_Do you have cash for the box already?" Emily asked in surprise, approaching the table and finally seeing the collection of jewelry laid out on the plastic surface. She lost her train of thought as she admired the many different pieces spread across the table._

_The school was having a fundraiser for the freshman class trip and a lot of the school teams had decided to do their own booths for the carnival since it would be such a group effort and they wanted to go on the trip with their closest friends. Because of this, the school was letting them elect one member of their team to do the cashbox collecting and they were required to call them over every five hundred dollars or so. This was to prevent any major loss of money, whether by carelessness or thievery._

"_No… but we were just talking about the dance next weekend. You are coming, right?" the head of the LGBT committee, the blonde, asked as the other two group members left to go find more tape._

_Emily bit her lip. "I don't know, Samara… I've never really gone to a dance while I've been out of the closet…"_

_Samara sent her a look. "And that is exactly why you need to go: to find out what you've been missing all these years!"_

"_I don't even have a dress. It's a formal, remember?"_

_Secretly, Emily was dying to go, but she was nervous. And, to be perfectly honest, she was hoping that, if she did go, that some more LGBT out-of-the-closet people would be there. She had been the only openly gay person at her high school, besides Maya, and it had gotten awkward plenty of the time. She wasn't looking to repeat it at this new school._

_Samara, rather than looking disappointed, lit up. "I have the perfect dress I can lend you. Come over Sunday and we'll just take it in a little. That swimmer's body of yours will look much better in it than mine."_

_Emily blushed, fiddling with the locks on the money box in shyness. "Oh please, you're beautiful." she mumbled._

_Samara smiled playfully at her, looking pleased with her answer. "So it's settled. You'll come over. We can even rent some movies or something, make a night of it."_

_Emily nodded, smiling brightly now. That sounded fun. She hadn't made many after-school friends since she had started going to this university. She got along with everyone on her swim team and in her classes and the LGBT group, but she rarely saw any of them besides for the odd study date._

"_These are gorgeous, by the way. You made them all?" Emily asked, trying to change the subject in case she slipped up and said something to derail the whole plan._

_Samara came around the table and explained the process of putting them together and how she got started on the whole thing._

"_These are so pretty." Emily commented, picking up a pair of dangling white stone earrings that had been catching her eye since she first approached the table._

_The other girl slipped them out of her hands and held them against Emily's ear, her knuckles brushing her cheek gently as she positioned it properly, smiling now. "They look amazing with your skin tone. You can pull anything off."_

_Emily was too embarrassed to even look at the sweet girl, blushing darker than before, not sure how to respond. _

"_You should have 'em." Samara told her, holding them out to drop into Emily's hand._

"_No, no, you don't have to give them to me." Emily told her quickly, sifting through her pockets for her own spare cash._

"_Fine, steal them. I won't look." Samara teased, turning around and throwing a grin over her shoulder when Emily laughed. Samara rested against the table casually, leaning back on her palms._

"_Ahem." a familiar voice came._

_Emily swiveled to see Maya raising her eyebrows at her._

_She smiled generously at her girlfriend, surprised to see her. "Maya, hey! What are you doing here?"_

"_I came to support you… but it looks like you're getting enough of that to go around." Maya retorted and Emily knew immediately that she wasn't impressed about the scene she had stumbled upon._

"_Samara, this is Maya. Maya, this is Samara, the head of the LGBT committtee." Emily explained quickly, shooting Samara a reassuring smile, hoping to convey that her girlfriend wasn't normally so rude._

"_It's nice to meet you. Are you on the swim team with Em?" Samara asked curiously._

_Maya forced a fake smile, which thankfully Samara didn't pick up on. "I'm in jazz band. I wasn't born with gills like Emily."_

"_Oh, so you've seen her swim too? She's so great, right? She beat the school record last week you know." Samara said proudly, causing Emily to blush at all of the attention._

_But Maya wasn't as impressed. "You know, I _have _heard that rumor!" she said exuberantly, laying the fakeness on a little too thick for Emily's liking._

_Samara seemed to sense the awkward tension and held up the earrings, stepping closer to Emily to hold the jewelry up again. "Tell your friend how hot she looks in those earrings?" she suggested friendlily, trying to focus the attention back on their common ground aka Emily._

_Maya practically exhaled smoke. "Emily, a word?"_

_Emily excused herself from Samara and followed Maya like a dog with a tail between its legs. There was no question that she was in big trouble. Maya's expression suggested that she was only moments away from dragon-level fire breathing._

_Sure enough, she let go of Emily's arm and crossed her own, raising her eyebrows defiantly at her. "Want to tell me what the hell is going on?"_

_Emily, a tad oblivious to where her fury was coming from, looked upset. "What-what do you mean?"_

_Maya huffed. "I _mean_, why is some random blonde bimbo sounding more like your girlfriend than I am? Why does she have no idea who I am? Have you been telling everyone in your little club that you're single?"_

"_No! Of course not. I've only been in that club a week, Maya, forgive me for not giving them my whole treacherous love story-"_

"_Treacherous?! TREACHEROUS?!"_

_Emily mentally face-palmed herself. "I meant… that we didn't have it easy getting here. We haven't talked about personal relationships or that kind of stuff yet in our meetings. When we do, you're all I'll be talking about, you know that." she told her pleadingly._

"_I thought I did. But now… catching you flirting with the head of the committee-"_

"_I was NOT flirting! We were just talking."_

_Maya raised an eyebrow at her. "You're so oblivious. You didn't see the way she was practically offering her body up to you like some sort of drive-thru service-"_

"_Maya, don't talk about her like that. She's not that kind of girl. She's actually really smart and funny and easygoing and she's going to lend me a dress for the dance next weekend. I'm going over to her place on Sunday to get it altered."_

_She smartly decided to leave out the comment Samara had made on why it needed to be. She was starting to clue in that maybe some of the comments they'd exchanged hadn't exactly been as innocent as she originally thought…_

"_OH! That's great. I hope you two have fun at the dance together." Maya said bitterly. She had enough. She turned to storm away but Emily grabbed her arm._

"_Maya, please. You'd be my date. I mean, if you want to go."_

"_And if I don't want to go…?"_

_Emily swallowed. She really wanted to go and have fun getting to know her new friends. But she knew now that was apparently a bad idea…_

_But Maya caught her expression and smirked. "Yeah. That's what I thought. I won't be home tonight. Don't wait up." she hissed before she furiously headed back towards the parking lot, leaving Emily feeling helpless._

* * *

Emily pulled herself out of her flashback as she finished explaining the story to Toby.

He squeezed the hand that was in his, dragging her so she slumped against him and he could put his arm around her shoulders.

"So you guys got in a fight. Fights happen. It sounds like Maya is just insecure and scared of losing you." Toby told her reassuringly.

Emily nodded. "I know. We ended up talking later that night. She was still pissed at me, but she told me she trusted me. I made sure she knew that she would always be my number one and that I don't even look at other girls when I have her…"

Toby slowly clued in that Emily's tale was far from finished. This fight didn't have her rushing here. Something else did. The day of the week clued him in to something.

"Did you… did you go to Samara's tonight?"

Emily's eyes immediately became shinier as she nodded.

His eyes softened and he let his arm fall down to around her waist so he could hold her closer.

"Emily… did something happen between you and Samara?"

She bit her lip, hard, and nodded as the tears spilled over.

His heart felt heavy as the realization settled in. He had known from his first meeting of Maya that she and Emily were in love. It was glazed over their eyes like frosting on a cinnamon bun. They only had eyes for each other and Toby had yet to see anyone pull out a smile on Emily the way Maya could.

But he also knew Emily didn't need that reminder right now. He pulled her legs across his lap so he could hold her as she cried.

"It's not… it's not what you think. I… it wasn't exactly like that…" But her words were lost in her cries.

"Shh. Emily, shh, it's okay. It's okay. I've got you. It's going to be okay." he promised, rubbing her back as his other hand brushed away her tears with his thumb.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't even be here… I just didn't know where else to go and I didn't want the girls to judge me and…"

"Shh, honey, it's okay. Tell me what happened." he told her kindly, letting her get her breath back in her lungs.

She nodded, pulling herself together to get out the mistake she had been punishing herself for since it happened.

* * *

_"Did I actually pin all of these marks without poking you at all?" Samara asked in disbelief, grinning as Emily laughed._

"_You are the Altering Queen." she teased back._

"_All right, slip it off and I can sew it while we watch a movie, then I'll get you to try it on again." she instructed as she put away her pins._

_Emily headed to the walk-in closet to shed the dress and pulled on her loose fitting off-shoulder t-shirt and skinny floral American Eagle jeans. She folded the dress over her arm and strode out to pass the dress over._

_Samara touched her arm before she could back away. She smiled, tucking a piece of Emily's flyaway hairs back into place. "You know, you are really beautiful, Emily."_

_Emily bit her lip nervously, the warning signals sounding off chaotically at the back of her brain. Samara stepped closer, watching her eyes carefully, only darting away to take in the look of her practically-trembling-with-nerves lips._

"_I-I don't know if-" Emily began to say, but Samara hushed her almost maternally._

"_Shh… it's okay." she murmured, her hand cupping the brunette's face now as she leaned closer. She paused before her lips, waiting for the other girl to lean up the distance, but Emily was frozen in place. She wasn't sure why her body was not responding to the flight-or-fight instinct it should've been undergoing._

_Chuckling at what she perceived to be innocence, Samara pressed her lips gently against Emily's equally soft ones._

_It was sort of an odd feeling. Emily had been kissed plenty of times, by boys and then Maya, but she wasn't really sure what to feel. Maya was the only girl she had ever kissed but she had assumed, like her opinion on boys kisses, that all girl kisses would generally feel the same. But there was something different about Samara's kiss. It was pleasant for sure, since Emily's lips immediately began responding to her moving ones, but it was confusing. She wasn't really sure if she liked it or not._

_When Samara pulled her waist closer to kiss her again, Emily's warning signals finally took over all else and she ended up pushing her away._

"_Sa-Samara. I'm taken. Maya is my girlfriend." she stammered in a panic._

_Samara looked hurt, and surprised. "Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't know…"_

_Emily looked down in shame and started to feel the tears build up._

_Samara's face changed to sympathy and she reached out to touch Emily's arm._

"_Don't cry, Emily. It's okay. I didn't mean to….I just thought you were feeling the connection between us like I have been…"_

_Emily didn't know what to say. Her emotions were breaking free of the dam and she knew she had to get out of there, now. Every extra minute she spent there was only making things worse._

_She pulled away and started grabbing her things, the early signs of a freaking out spell rushing at her now._

"_Emily, wait! You don't have to go!" Samara pleaded._

"_No, I don't have to... I NEED_ _to." she replied tearfully before slamming the door shut behind her and running to her car._

_She ransacked her purse for her keys, cursing the sky as she dropped them on the pavement. "Of course it's storming out, OF COURSE." she shouted irritably at nobody in particular, finally thrusting the keys inside her car door and throwing herself inside._

_Finally alone, her tears burst out in firework fashion- sporadic, explosive, and uncontrollable. She collapsed over her steering wheel in sobs, wondering how on earth she had been so stupid._

_Without really thinking it all the way through, she threw her car into drive and sped off into the night, knowing she couldn't deal with this guilt on her own._

* * *

Toby held her closer as she cried into his shirt. He stroked her hair comfortingly, tightening his arms around her as her cries stumbled somewhere between sobs and sniffles.

When she finally quieted down again, she began apologizing for the mess of bodily fluids she had left on his now-ruined shirt.

"Emily." he interrupted with a laugh. "Do me a favor. Look through that door."

She glanced over the back of the couch to see his bedroom door; further in, a third of his dresser was visible.

"I've got plenty more where this came from. You haven't ruined anything. It's just a ratty old t-shirt. Don't sweat it." he told her honestly.

She nodded, and then tiredly leaned her head against his shoulder. He could tell she was exhausted from expelling all of these emotions and reliving the pain. She was done talking for the night.

So naturally, Toby understood it was distraction time.

He reached out to cup her face, brushing her tears away with his thumbs, before pressing a brotherly kiss to her forehead. He signaled for her to give him a minute and headed into his bedroom.

Curiously, Emily sat up straighter, wondering what on earth he was doing. She cocked her head in confusion when he came out with his iPod in hand.

He grinned and held out a hand. "You and I are going to dance."

"What?! What are you talking about?" she asked disbelievingly as he pulled her to her feet.

"Well, I don't have a stereo system yet. That's on the wish list when I have extra cash. So we'll have to make this work." he explained, offering her a single headphone.

She laughed as she watched him put in his earphone and sift through the songs until he found a suitable tempo.

Chuckling, but leaning into his warm embrace, Emily swayed in the living room with Toby, wondering how on earth she had known he would be everything she needed today, above everyone else in her life.

"Thanks. For this. For everything." Emily murmured after the first song wrapped up and blended into the next.

Toby pulled back and smiled. "Of course. You can have my bed tonight. We'll talk about what you want to do tomorrow after you've gotten some sleep."

Emily sighed as she tightened her grip around him, her fear overtaking her muscles and reaching out for additional support before even her brain registered that was what she wanted. He was being so kind to her, without prying about anything and listening without judgment. She knew she owed him some answers, like why she was there.

"I hope it's okay that I came here." she began cautiously, leaning back to catch his expression.

He smiled. "You're welcome at my place any time, Em. I'm touched that you felt comfortable enough to come to me about this."

She smiled in return. "Spencer always said you were the best listener. That you didn't have a judgmental bone in your body. That you could cheer her up no matter how low she was feeling, and that, for whatever reason, you were the best at calming her mind and making her feel safe. I guess the instinctive part of me hoped maybe you could be that for me too. You've always been easy to talk to."

He squeezed her waist affectionately, waiting patiently for her to continue like he knew she was working her way up to.

Emily caught on and sighed. There was that perceptive bit Spencer had mentioned too. "It's not that the girls aren't amazing. It's just… I'm scared for what they'd say… what they'd think of me…"

"Emily, you know how Spencer and the girls feel about you. They love you. They'll always support you."

"I know… I just… they're like my family. I can't stand to disappoint them." she explained.

He smiled as he tucked some of her hair back in place. "That's what's so great about friends. They're NOT your family." he reminded her, tapping her nose teasingly with his finger and causing her to giggle and scrunch her nose back at him in return.

She pulled him close again so she could hug him properly and let the gentle music and the kind man holding her relax her conscious.

"Spencer was right. You really are one of a kind." she murmured to him softly.

* * *

"You have Beyonce on here?!" Emily squealed a while later, giggling behind her hand as she began dancing exuberantly to the catchy beat, all previous negative feelings forgotten as the familiar tune filled her ears.

Toby fought to wrestle the music player out of her hands, Emily putting up a decent fight despite her silly dancing, and he huffed as he played tug of war with her.

"Spencer sometimes touches my iPod! It was obviously her!"

Emily cackled as she won the war and scooted away tauntingly, waving the iPod around in the air to torment him, belting out some of the lyrics between laughs. "Do you guys do the dance too? I'm sure you can dance better than any _single lady_, Toby."

Toby faced off with her across the couch, debating whether or not he should dive over it or continue trying to catch the athletic girl.

"No! Of course not! I don't… I don't even know what you're talking about!" he lied.

Unfortunately, Emily caught his expression and doubled over with laughter. "Too bad I don't believe you! I wonder what Caleb and Ezra will say when they hear about this?!"

"You wouldn't!" he gasped.

Emily grinned evilly. "I guess you'll find out!"

But she got one step too close and Toby lunged, wrapping his arms around her waist and spinning her. She burst into giggles, trying to fight him off rather pathetically as he swung her around like a parent and child.

They both lost their balance and tumbled onto the kitchen floor, laughing hysterically. The iPod skittered across the tiles and hardwood, sliding straight under the couch.

Meeting each other's eyes briefly, they both threw themselves forward to start crawling towards the lost device.

Realizing that Emily was closer and clearly going to win, Toby leapt to his feet and grabbed the first thing he found in his cupboard: chocolate syrup.

Emily's eyes went huge and her mouth fell open. "You wouldn't!"

"I guess you'll find out!" he repeated her earlier statement back to her, his mouth turned upwards wickedly as he flipped the cap open and set a sugary stream right at her.

"Toby!" she screeched as she got a face full.

He only laughed in return, and she was quick to find her feet beneath her and dig the whipped cream can out of the fridge.

The pair circled around the kitchen table like two predators facing off, both whacking their weapon threateningly in their palm, eyes not leaving one another.

"We could've done this the easy way…" Toby fake-tutted, pulling out a nonchalant saunter as they continued their staring match.

"In your dreams, Cavanaugh." Emily countered, whipping off the cap and exploding the end.

That was all he needed. Soon there was a flurry of sugary toppings flying through the air and before they knew it, they both were coated head to toe and laughing too hard to remember what they were even fighting about to begin with.

"I might… borrow your shower again… and your laundry…" Emily managed to choke out as she helped him to his feet.

He scratched the back of his neck as he caught his breath, surprised to find his nails caked with chocolate when he pulled it away. "Yeah… I'll throw them in with mine. Thankfully Spencer's got tons of clothes here, otherwise I can lend you something of mine."

She scooped up a dollop of whipped cream and smeared it slowly across his face. He sent her an annoyed look which caused her to giggle even more.

"Thanks, Toby." she murmured, grateful for more than the water facilities generosity, kissing his clean cheek before disappearing into the bathroom.

* * *

Emily changed and was surprised to see the kitchen was already cleaned up. Feeling guilty, she knocked and entered his bedroom to apologize for not helping when she spotted a different brunette sitting crosslegged on the bed.

"Spencer? How-what?" she stuttered.

But as soon as Spencer held out her arms for a hug, Emily's tears restarted and she threw herself into her best friend's petite frame, hugging her snugly.

"Oh Spence, I messed up so bad this time." she whispered tearfully.

"Shh. Em, it's going to be okay. We'll work through this." Spencer promised, tightening her grip around the sad girl.

Spencer simply held her, rocking her gently back and forth while Emily got a hold of herself.

"Toby called me. You don't have to talk about it, he said you might not want to, but he thought I might be able to understand better than the other two girls."

Emily pulled back. "But Spencer, you've never cheated."

She grimaced. "Not exactly. But I've been cheated on."

Her eyes went huge.

Spencer sighed, rubbing the back of Emily's hand affectionately. "Maybe it's time I told you the real reason why me and Wren broke up. It might put your situation into better perspective."

* * *

After Spencer and Emily talked for a while, the slighty-younger girl had finally drifted off.

Spencer slipped out of the bedroom to find Toby sprawled out on the couch, one arm thrown over his head haphazardly and one leg poking out from under the blanket.

Giggling to herself at his adorableness, she perched herself on the edge of the couch and rubbed the arm draped across his chest affectionately.

He stirred, righting himself and smiling when he saw the face he was waking up to. He pulled himself into a sitting position, his arms immediately finding her waist to pull her closer.

"Em asleep?" he asked.

She nodded. "Poor girl. I think she's calmed down now. Hopefully tomorrow she can figure out what she wants to do. I texted Maya to tell her Emily was safe and sound. I feel guilty not sharing why she was staying away, but that's not my place. Maya didn't question it; they've been avoiding each other all week."

Toby sighed, wishing there was more they could do for their friends, but knowing that they really needed to sort this out on their own.

Not meaning to, a yawn slipped out and Spencer immediately picked up on it.

"Come to bed. You're exhausted." she told him, tugging on his arm as she rose to her feet.

He shook his head. "No, you and Emily take my bed. I'm fine out here."

Spencer sat back down and leaned over to give him a lengthy, tender kiss. "I love you. I love how kind you are to my friends, and your own friends. You really did a lot for Emily. I can tell."

He smiled, stroking her face lovingly. He was embarrassed to admit it, but even in the few hours apart they had, he had missed his girlfriend. Seeing her beautiful face was always such a calming mechanism for him. Nothing seemed that bad if she was near.

"I care about her. I'm glad she felt she could come to me."

"I'm sure she'd be even _more_ glad if you came to bed. Come on, there's plenty of room for the three of us." she begged gently.

Toby rolled his eyes and followed her lead. He didn't have much of a choice since his body was exhausted and she was dragging him by the hand, but nonetheless he collapsed on the bed on the opposite side of the sleeping beauty. It didn't take long for either of them to fall asleep.

* * *

When Emily woke up a couple hours later to change position, she smiled at the sight of her two close friends cuddled up on either side of her, almost protecting her. She was certainly lucky and definitely well loved.

Her smile only grew as she spotted the intertwined hands over her. Even in their sleep, Spencer and Toby were always finding their way to be closer to each other.

With that peaceful thought, she drifted back into slumber, feeling much better about the difficult days ahead of her.


	16. Chapter 16

This is officially the THIRD last chapter of Fast Cars and Freedom. As promised, I will be doing a sequel to this story, once I figure out exactly what I want to happen. As always, I try to incorporate as much of the show events as I can while still keeping it original and fitting with THIS version of the characters. So if there is anything, anyone, you'd like to see, please leave it in a review, PM, tweet me at phoenix9648, or on my tumblr "holdyourbreathuntilyouseelig ht" dot tumblr dot com :) I love you guys, and I really want you to enjoy reading this.

I've already started on the next chapter, so it shouldn't be too too long until it is posted. I'm hoping before the end of the week and then the final chapter this weekend. However, college student, blah blah blah, I'm a busy bee. But now that I know where exactly I'm going with it, I should be able to write it out easier. I just don't want to deliver anything but the best for you wonderful kind readers :)

Spencer's outfit is in 3x06 I believe... the episode when she goes to talk to Jason at school :) Tried to make it clear, but may have failed miserably..

Hope you guys enjoy! Please let me know what you think x3

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

Spencer fiddled with her napkin in her lap for the dozenth time. She had flattened it against her legs, left it in a haphazard pile on the table, tried to turn it back into a swan, and considered tucking it into her shirt before leaving it stationary on her lap. The amount of flattening she had done to smooth it out had caused more wrinkles than ever before.

She had even put her hair in a relaxed side bun so she wouldn't play with it so much. If it was down, she'd have probably pulled the majority of it out by now.

The important thing was she had made it here. If this went horribly, they could say they tried and move on with their lives. Still, Spencer felt herself glancing around wildly. Would he stand her up? Was he a fashionably late kind of guy? Were they even really related, I mean really, where was the blood test?

Although her dad's confirmation and Jason's obvious resemblance to different members of her family tree had convinced her just fine.

Spencer jumped when her phone beeped.

_Stop stressing and breathe. You look beautiful. He's going to love you. –T_

She couldn't help but smile. Toby knew her far too well. Not that it took a genius to figure out that she was anxious about this dinner with Jason.

Toby, however, had firsthand knowledge.

* * *

_"What do you think? Does this say 'Hi, I'm your new sister' to you?" Spencer asked Toby subjectively a few days previous, standing in front of the mirror and appraising her outfit._

_She was in a cotton dress with multicolored birds–that could easily be mistaken for flowers at first glance–on the skirt, with a ruffling at the neckline. She was wearing brown riding-like boots and had thrown on a menswear-inspired business blazer overtop. As always, she looked great and individual._

"_I think it says 'Hi, your boyfriend is the luckiest man in the world.'" he teased._

_She sent him an annoyed look. "Toby, that isn't helping."_

_His hand pulled on hers so she would come back towards the bed. She tried not to smile as his hands journeyed up to grip her waist and pull her into his lap. "Not my fault that I find your beauty distracting…"_

_She giggled, unable to help herself from indulging in the feeling of his lips following the line of her throat. "Yeah, because this isn't distracting at all… just so you know…" But her words were lost in his mouth as they began kissing properly._

_Toby gradually fell backwards so she was lying on top of him, his fingers undoing her blazer and pushing it off her shoulders._

_Spencer was already working on unbuttoning his shirt, eager to let her hands explore his bare skin again. She would never get tired of the sight of those abs of his._

"_You have a girls night to get to, remember?" he teased, amused at her enthusiasm._

_She bit her lip, grinning, and let her thumbs rub in that v-shaped dip following from his hips until she reached his pant-line. She felt his breath hitch at the intimacy of her touch._

"_I also have a boyfriend that needs pleasing. And you have a girlfriend that needs some proper lovin'…"_

_Toby sat up a little and gaped at her. "Did you just… talk dirty to me?"_

_She smirked and shrugged. "Why? Did you like it?" she flirted back._

_He chuckled at her forwardness and gently pushed her away from going for his belt, pulling them into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. "Now isn't the time. You have to meet your friends."_

"_But you leave tomorrow." she pouted, sounding like a child denied present opening on Christmas Eve._

"_But I'll be _back_. It's only a week, Spence."_

"_It's Spring Break, Toby. The one week I literally will not have any other obligations besides to spend time with you." she reminded him, trying not to get whiney about it but unable to hide her disappointment._

_Toby had been offered a construction job out of town. He'd be gone for the entire week since it was a big project but the pay was excellent and the experience would look great to his future employers. She knew he was excited about it and it was a great opportunity, but she still knew she was going to miss him like crazy._

"_Haven't you ever heard: 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'?" Toby reminded her._

"_Haven't you ever heard: 'absence sharpens love, _**presence**_ strengthens it'?" she retorted sarcastically._

"_Spencer…" he said amusedly, stroking her face lovingly._

"_Toby… I just…" She looked down in shame, squeezing his free hand between hers. "I'm just going to miss you like crazy."_

_He smiled and kissed her softly on the mouth. "You say that like this is easy for me. I'm going to miss you too. Who else am I going to witty banter with?!" he teased._

"_Toby!" she whined, pushing him weakly, giggling at his annoyingness._

_He knew she was serious though so he held her close. "Spencer… we will talk every day on the phone. You can call me or text me whenever. It's only eight days. I'll be back before you know it."_

_Spencer sighed against his neck, cuddling into his shoulder. "You better be."_

* * *

Spencer got pulled out of her thoughts when she spotted a familiar dirty-blonde man coming towards her table. Impulsively, she stood to greet him.

"Jason." she greeted.

"Spencer." he replied.

They both awkwardly started forwards as if to hug and then thought better of it.

Correcting their throats, they found their seats.

"Sorry I'm late. My kitchen sink was leaking and it took longer to fix than I thought it would." Jason explained as he flattened his napkin out on his lap.

Spencer was a little distracted by the mirroring way he did that like she had earlier, but shook herself from staring and smiled. "It's fine. I haven't been here long." she promised.

An awkward silence fell between them.

"Is it uh salvageable? I mean, it didn't do too much damage to your new kitchen, did it?" Spencer asked quickly, not wanting an evening of silence.

He nodded. "It'll be fine. It would be helpful to have Toby around now more than ever, but he's still away on that job, isn't he?"

Spencer nodded, taking a sip of her iced water. "Yeah, he is." she murmured.

Jason watched her carefully. "You miss him a lot, huh?"

She looked up, surprised at the level of sympathy in his eyes. Something told her he understood better than the average person. "He's… sort of my world." she admitted honestly, absent-mindedly fiddling with her napkin again.

Jason smiled. "And you're his. Have you guys ever been apart this long?"

"No. Even before we were together, ever since we met we would see each other almost every day. When he first got the loft, there were a few days straight we only saw each other at school because he was so busy with renovations. It's sort of pathetic…" she laughed. "We even talked on the phone every day, like we do now, and I still miss him like my left leg."

Jason chuckled, shaking his head. "That's not pathetic. That's true love."

She smiled at the thought, but then raised her eyebrows. "Speaking from experience?"

"Not quite. I've loved and lost, but haven't quite found 'the one' yet." he admitted. "I'm hopeful though, especially after seeing the pair of you. My parents' relationship wasn't always the strongest, but it's good to know that there is something worth looking forward to out there."

The waiter interrupted and they realized they had barely glanced on the menu. Thankfully, Spencer had been here before and Jason wasn't a picky eater, so the waiter was sent on her way rather quickly.

"So Melissa didn't want to come?" Jason asked and she detected the worry in his tone.

Spencer grimaced. "Don't be too disappointed. She's not the biggest fan of me as it is. We're working on it. Something happened between us that… set us back further than our usual butting heads."

"I'm sorry." is all he could think of to say.

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you. It's okay though. It's in the past, and even so, it ended up bringing me and Toby much closer together. He was there for me and he… saved me from letting it consume me."

"Consume you?" Jason asked in surprise, and then realizing he was prying, backed down. "Sorry. It's none of my business."

"No, it's fine. I'm the one who brought it up." Spencer said.

Their food arrived and she hated how quickly things turned awkward again. But she was also surprised at the pull she felt to be honest with him, the feeling that she could trust him. The only time she had ever experienced that was with Toby, and when she was in trouble with her family.

"What is it? You went somewhere just now." Jason observed, looking concerned.

She chuckled nervously. "I just… it's odd. You bring out the honesty in me. Like only my family can… it's just strange how I feel like I can tell you anything when I barely know you."

He smiled. "I think I know what you mean. I feel like I can talk to you about anything and we've only had a handful of rather minimal conversations."

He reached a hand across the table to squeeze her hand.

"Look, if you want to talk about whatever happened between you and Melissa, I want you to know I am here for you. As crazy as this situation is, I want this to work. And not just because I lost my only sister last year."

Spencer's eyes went wide.

"Toby never told you?" Jason asked, noting her surprise.

The corners of her lips turned upwards for a moment. "First thing to learn about Toby, Jason, is that when you tell him something, he'll take it with him to the grave." Spencer grew somber as she realized what he was implying. "What happened?"

"Wrong place, wrong time. Late night, dark clothes, rain, and a crosswalk. Not a good mix." he explained as he pushed his food around the plate.

"Hey." Spencer murmured, retaking his hand in hers. "You don't have to do that nonchalant it-doesn't-hurt-anymore thing with me, okay? I'm sure losing someone that way, and so suddenly without a goodbye, isn't something you ever really get over."

He ran his hand through his hair as he met her gaze again. "Yeah… it's really not. Me and Ali butted heads like you and Melissa, but losing her… I guess it's true that you don't know what you have until it's gone."

She squeezed his hand tighter and he squeezed hers in return.

"Spencer?"

The accent caught her attention more than the voice itself.

"Wren!" she exclaimed in surprise, releasing Jason's hand.

* * *

"Hi… um… I'm Wren. Uh, Spencer's…"

"Long story!" Spencer finished for him, laughing awkwardly as the men both stood to shake hands. "Wren, this is Jason, my… um… _other_ long story."

"Where's Toby?" the British man asked casually.

"Out of town." Spencer explained, confirming his suspicions that they were in a relationship together. It had been four months since they broke up, but still. Wren wasn't an idiot.

"So you two aren't…" Wren asked, gesturing between the two table occupants.

"No! Oh god, no! I mean, sorry, no offense." Spencer said quickly, slapping a hand over her forehead because either way she was making an idiot of herself.

Jason laughed, mostly at her reaction. "Just a friendly dinner between two people."

A brunette woman came up and linked her arm through Wren's.

"Sorry, just had to grab my jacket from the car- Oh. Spencer. Hi."

Spencer forced a smile. "Melissa. Hi."

"Melissa?" Jason blurted out.

Spencer ran a stressed hand over her face. "Well, isn't this a great reunion. Melissa, meet your brother Jason." she said exuberantly, gesturing her hands between them.

Both Melissa and Wren's jaws dropped.

The silence was deafening. "Well. This was fun! Let's all do it again some time." Spencer said sarcastically, patting both Melissa and Wren on their shoulders and pushing them on their merry way.

Jason sat back down slowly. Spencer swallowed back some of her water to avoid talking, half-wishing it was something stronger.

Jason seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

"Well! That was Melissa." Spencer said finally.

He chuckled. "Apparently. And Wren is… your ex I'm assuming based on the jealousy in his eyes."

Spencer grimaced. "Yeah… he's a long story."

"I gathered that from your description." he said amusedly. He raised his eyebrows at her, probing her to go on into what he assumed would be a rather interesting tale.

She giggled. "How about I tell you over dessert?" She ran her eyes over the dessert menu.

"Cheesecake?" they proposed in unison, breaking off into mutual laughter.

* * *

"Wow. I'm glad I met you first." Jason admitted as he dug into his dessert after her lengthy story.

Spencer was confused. "Why?"

"Because Melissa is obviously a bitch." he said bluntly.

Spencer nearly choked on her cheesecake, trying not to laugh. "Well, technically Wren was hers first… and she thought we were broken up when that happened…" she automatically defended.

Jason sent her a look. "Even if she did… he was clearly in love with you. Even if you had just broken up, she didn't know the whole story. It was still a rotten thing to do. You could've still been hung up on him."

Spencer smiled as she spooned another bite. She was staying quiet, but frankly, she was glad Jason had taken that stance on it. As much as she loved how kind-hearted and forgiving Toby was, it was still nice to have her angry feelings acknowledged and validated too.

"I think she did you a favor though." Jason continued. "That accent just spells smarmy to me."

Spencer couldn't help but crack up with him at the jab, feeling like maybe this sibling thing had a chance after all.

* * *

After the cheque came, the pair headed outside, ducking out before Wren and Melissa could stop them for another lovely chat. Although they were pretty sure the two of them weren't any more eager to have another reunion as they were.

"Can I drive you home?" Jason asked.

"I'm um actually staying at Toby's." she admitted.

He looked oddly pleased. "I didn't realize you two were living together now."

"Oh, we're not. I just stay there a lot… and I've been taking care of Minin while he's gone." she explained.

"Oh right. Of course. Well I guess we'll just talk later then?"

Spencer smiled and this time didn't hesitate to hug him goodbye. She didn't miss the soft sigh of relief he let out when he squeezed her back.

"We will for sure. We'll have to do this again really soon. It's time you shared some of _your_ horror stories with _me_." she teased.

He grinned. "You'll have to block out an entire week of meals in order to have time for all of those."

She wrinkled her nose at him teasingly, glad they were on the bantering level now. It was her comfort zone, and clearly was Jason's too; just another thing to add to the list of similarities between them.

"I want to hear more about Alison too, if you don't mind sharing. I know she wasn't my sister, but I still feel a connection to her." Spencer admitted.

Jason nodded. "Definitely. I think it would be good for the both of us. And as much as I'm happy with just having you… maybe we should invite Melissa next time? Now that she's seen me in the flesh?"

"Inviting her is the easy part. Getting her to come is a different story. If there's one thing to remember about our family, Jason, it's that we're all pretty damn stubborn when we want to be." she told him, surprising even herself with the warmth in her voice.

"I guess I'll fit right in then."

She smiled. "Honestly? You already do in my eyes."

His smile grew in magnitude as he pulled her into another hug.

"Thanks for tonight, Spencer, and for giving me a chance. I'm really happy I have you."

"Right back at you… bro." she teased, faking a punch to his shoulder before waving him off and heading down the sidewalk.

It was crazy to think it, but she was already looking forward to getting to know him better. Not as a person this time, but as a brother. He had proven tonight already that maybe she had gained more than she had originally bargained for. Maybe now she could know what it was like to have a sibling as an ally rather than a rival.

Spencer couldn't help but smile to herself as she headed upstairs to the loft. Maybe all change wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Minin meowed from his spot on the window sill and slinked over to greet her properly when she entered. Spencer smiled, grateful he was so accepting of her. She picked him up and let him nuzzle into her as she dished out his food with her free hand.

He leaped down when she set the bowls on the floor and set to work on emptying them in record time. If she didn't know she had been feeding him regularly, she would've thought the poor animal was starved the way he inhaled it. But he just naturally was like a teenage male.

Spencer headed inside Toby's room, stripping out of her layered tank and cardigan and digging through Toby's drawers for one of his t-shirts. Pulling it over her head, she inhaled the familiar smell that still lingered even when he washed them.

Settling into the armchair, Spencer flipped through her book until she reached where she left off.

Minin jumped up onto her lap, causing her to yelp in surprise. She rubbed behind his ears as he sniffed her shirt curiously. He stretched out, pawing at her sternum as if he could sense the aching in her chest and was trying to massage the pain away. With a forlorn expression, he turned his head towards the door pointedly.

Spencer sighed as she petted him. "I miss him too, buddy. I miss him too." she murmured.

Minin seemed to accept that and cuddled against her side, closing his eyes to nap as Spencer tried to concentrate on the story in her hands and not the longing in her heart.

She rested her forehead on her palm. She glanced at the watch on her wrist.

"46 hours, Minin. He'll be back in 46 hours." she muttered, mostly to herself. Minin nuzzled closer in apparent understanding.

Her phone trilled and she opened her new message.

_Want to grab coffee after class tomorrow? Ezra's working until four so I'd love the company while I'm waiting around! ~Aria_

Spencer smiled. Thank god for friends. She could really use the company too.

* * *

"Have you talked to Emily?" Aria asked the next day, swinging her legs on the stool absent-mindedly.

Spencer nodded as she sipped the warm drink in her hand. "She stayed with Toby for a couple extra days while Maya moved out."

"They broke up?" Ezra blurted out in surprise. Aria sent him a look, like have-some-tact-you're-a-grown-man.

Spencer grimaced. "It was more over Maya's jealousy issues than anything. They've been fighting for a lot longer than you might expect. It still sucks though. But those two love each other. Hopefully they'll find their way back."

"So where is she now? Living alone?" Ezra asked.

"She's staying in my room while Toby's away, but then Aria's moving in." Spencer explained to Ezra.

Ezra straightened up. "Since when?!"

Aria squeezed his hand. "My rent is month to month. It's only for another two months, until her lease is done. She needs me, Ezra. I'm only an extra few minutes away."

Thankfully, he understood. "_My_ girlfriend, the one with the big eyes and a heart to match." he told her affectionately. She kissed his knuckles happily, smiling coyly at him.

Spencer loved seeing the pair of them so happy, but all their lovey-dovey gazing was doing was making her miss Toby.

"Ezra, you're off the clock!" Nigel called.

Pumping his fist in the air, Ezra whipped off his smock and hung it on the wall, coming around the counter enthusiastically.

"I've been waiting all afternoon to do this." Ezra teased, wrapping his arms around Aria's waist and pulling her into a long kiss.

Missing Toby or not, Spencer had to giggle a little at her friends' adorableness.

"Oh, Spence, I completely forgot to ask… how was your dinner with Jason?" Aria asked.

She grimaced.

"Uh oh…" Ezra commented, seeing her expression.

Spencer laughed. "No, it actually went really well. I'm hoping to see him again soon. The best part of the evening was when we ran into Wren… and Melissa…"

"Wait, what?! Are Melissa and Wren back together?" Aria exclaimed in a panic as she tossed her empty cup in the garbage.

Spencer shrugged, linking arms with her as they exited The Brew, Ezra on Aria's other arm.

"I have no clue. I feel like I should care… but I really don't. They're both free to do whatever they want."

"Well you made a better choice with Toby anyways." Ezra inputted.

She and Aria both rolled their eyes. "Spoken like a true bromancer." Aria teased, patting his chest affectionately.

Now outside, Aria wrapped both of her arms around Ezra's middle.

"Are you going to be okay, Spence? We were thinking of catching a movie if you want to-"

"No, no. I'm fine. Geez, my boyfriend is _away_, not_ dead_. I can handle some alone time. I should actually go back inside and feed Minin while I'm here." Spencer added thoughtfully, biting her lip.

"Take care of yourself. We'll see you soon." Ezra told her, hugging her briefly after Aria before they headed down the street.

The store next door caught her eye and Spencer took an extra couple steps to gaze admiringly at the jewelry beyond the glass. She smiled watching a couple inside mulling over wedding bands. She wondered if she and Toby would ever have that.

A reflection in the window caught her eye and she gasped as she whipped around to see a familiar young man crossing the street towards her.

"Toby."


	17. Chapter 17

Hello beauties :) Sorry for the delay; life has gotten in the way the past two weeks more than you can imagine!

Anyways, here it is. I didn't try to be subtle about what was coming this chapter, so enjoy it ;) Quite descriptive so I am upping the rating of this entire story to M. Keep this in mind if you are underage- I try to keep it classy, but like I said, it's still mature content.

I do twist things a littleeee bit to keep things interesting and not completely copying the show. I still want this show to be as original as possible, while still having the fun flare of imitating the show in an AU :)

Lots of Spoby fluff so I hope it can help you through the pain of this 3B! Hang in there and enjoy this chapter! Final chapter is next :)

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

Spencer didn't even think about it. She had barely glanced both ways before rushing forwards. She had complete tunnel vision— he was the only thing she could see.

But Toby was clearly feeling the same way since his face broke out into a smile as he sped his pace and met her just as she stepped off the curb.

Spencer launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck as she tried to hold back her tears of happiness. His arms wound firmly around her, holding her securely to his body. He had missed her so much.

Desperate to kiss her like he had been longing to since he last had, he went to pull back but Spencer tightened her hold on his neck.

"No, please, don't let me go." she whispered.

Smiling, not just at her words but the fact that she wasn't eager to separate them either, Toby acquiesced and nuzzled his face into her neck to inhale the perfume he had been missing too.

Spencer finally pulled back after another minute. "Sorry. I just… I've missed you so much." she confessed, giggling a little giddily and a tad out of embarrassment for the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

Toby raised his hands to brush away her tears, beaming at her beautiful face. "Spencer, I know how you feel. You never have to say you're sorry."

Spencer grinned before pulling him into a long, passionate kiss. Her boyfriend immediately returned her enthusiasm, pulling her by the waist against him, pressing his lips to hers repeatedly.

Once out of breath, she snuggled back into his arms. "I thought you weren't due back until late tomorrow night." she half-stated, following him inside to the loft.

He waved at a few coworkers as he passed through The Brew. Although everyone was pleased to see him, they understood that he clearly wasn't letting go of the girl in his arms any time soon and let him simply pass by.

"I wasn't. We finished the job early, so I thought I'd surprise you." he explained as they climbed the stairs.

"I've got a surprise for you too, but it's much less exciting." Spencer teased in return, kissing his jaw happily. She couldn't be more ecstatic that he was home.

However, Minin's excitement for Toby being home rivaled even Spencer's.

He had bounded over as soon as the door unlocked, sensing his best friend was on the other side, and meowed repeatedly as he circled Toby's legs.

Toby laughed at his friend, crouching down to share the love. In truth, he had missed his cat while he was gone too. Rubbing his hand along Minin's back, Toby watched Spencer begin to unload stuff from the fridge.

"Did you go grocery shopping while I was gone?" he asked amusedly, leaving Minin to roll on his back alone.

She smiled. "I thought it might be nice for you to come home to some actual food." she explained. "Especially if, on your first night back, I could throw something special together for you to prove how much I've missed you."

"You don't need to prove it. I heard it in your voice every time you called." he reminded her quietly, coming up behind her and letting his arms encircle her body so his hands rested on her belly.

On reflex, she leaned back into his embrace while she chopped up the fruit. "Let me do one nice thing for you, please. You're always blowing all of my romantic attempts far out of the water."

He chuckled as he moved her hair off her shoulder and descended his lips to the exposed skin there. "You do enough, honestly. I won't say no to a little more wooing though, especially since I think I have a clue what you're rustling up for me."

She arched her neck to the side to welcome more of his kisses, continuing with her slicing of the strawberries, bananas, and pineapple. Her lines became a little less straight, but she felt for the most part she kept herself together pretty well.

However, that wasn't doing it for Toby. He sucked on the thin skin across her collarbone and she gasped a little, placing the knife in her hand down slowly and knotting her fingers in his hair to hold him there.

"Toby…" she groaned.

"Mm?" he teased, letting his hands slip under her blouse to brush sensually along her sides.

Spencer's eyes fluttered shut. It had been so long since they had done anything remotely intimate. Even before he left, Emily had been over and they just didn't feel comfortable having witnesses present in the apartment. Since Toby had rejected her advances, with difficulty, the night before he left, that led to it being weeks since they had indulged in each other. Now they were alone… together… reunited…

Toby, enjoying torturing her, released her with a sigh.

"Need some help?" he asked brightly.

Hip to his game, Spencer tried not to express exactly how disappointed she was, and contemplated a task to give him.

"If you don't mind finding a plate to throw these on, and there's a Tupperware container in the fridge I'll need." she added, finishing up with the fruit.

Toby did as told and smiled at the little krispie rice treat balls in the container.

"Marshmallows?" Spencer stated more than asked, tossing him the bag.

He grinned, knowing for sure he was right about this. It would be fun with her, not that he'd expect anything less.

"Want me to melt the chocolate chips in the microwave?" he countered.

"And risk you snacking on them?" she giggled. "No way. You can bring the tray out to the living room."

He rolled his eyes as she ran her hands through her hair, unintentionally seductively, to move it off her face. Toby didn't know what was wrong with him, but he was finding everything she did sexy today. He could barely keep his eyes off of her.

Focusing on the task at hand, he carried the food out and was carefully followed by his girlfriend once the chocolate was melted.

"I can't believe you made chocolate fondue. How very _romantic_ of you." he taunted.

She ruffled his hair affectionately. "Don't get used to it."

Toby was the first to dip something, a strawberry, but instead of popping it in his own mouth, he offered it to his girlfriend.

She gave him a coy smile before biting into the sweetness.

Toby didn't even realize he was chewing on his lip watching her. Spencer blushed at the obvious attention his eyes were paying her, but wasn't sure what was on his mind.

Correcting his throat, he bit into one of the other treats.

"So how was your week?" Spencer asked.

He contemplated it while they dug further into their mini dessert feast. "It was busy. Lots of long hours. Lots of missing you."

She smiled, interlacing their free hands between them.

Toby looked down for a moment, and she realized he was nervous.

"It got me to thinking though." he admitted.

She met his eyes in surprise.

Looking serious, he grasped both of her hands now. "I've been thinking about it for a while… but after being apart from you, I realized how much I looked forward to coming home to you… And I don't want to get in the way of you and Hanna or any of the girls… but I called Emily the other night and she and Hanna had been talking about living together since Maya had moved out…"

Spencer waited patiently in case he wasn't getting to what he was obviously getting to.

"And I don't want you to feel obligated in any way… but Spence, would you consider moving in with me?"

Her face broke out into an excited smile. "You mean it?"

He smiled in return, caressing her face. "I'd love to wake up to you every morning."

She grinned and threw her arms around his neck excitedly. "Of course I will!"

She pulled back to plant a happy kiss on his mouth; but, upon meeting his lips, his enthusiasm caught her off guard. She knew he was happy, but she didn't expect the level of passion and love his kiss exuded when he kissed her back.

Toby's arms wrapped around her back, pulling her closer. Her fingers responded and slid behind his ears, holding his face to hers, rubbing affectionately.

The way he was kissing her was leaving her breathless. He pulled back after a moment, panting, leaning his forehead against hers.

"S-sorry." he muttered, clearly embarrassed for his sudden fervor. "I didn't mean to-"

But Spencer had silenced him with her mouth, pushing on his chest to get him to lie back in the corner of the couch. She straddled his lap as Toby scrambled to sit up straight, dragging his mouth back to hers and kissing him urgently.

His brain slowed right down, his body leading his motions now. He couldn't help but smile as she arched her back at his touch. His fingertips were running up and down her spine, accidentally tugging a little on the shirt she was wearing. Seeing the opportunity, his hand slipped under the back of her blouse, teasing the silky skin of her lower back.

Her hand left his hair to fall slowly down his chest, dragging the v of his t-shirt as she gradually separated their mouths.

It didn't take a genius to figure out where this was going; their passion was only growing with every kiss, every touch. Toby ran a hand through her hair, leaning their foreheads together, closing his eyes at the feel of her breath on his face. He wanted this with her so badly. He wasn't sure he could wait any longer.

It was Spencer who spoke, caressing his face between her hands. "Are you sure?"

He wasn't nervous of his past getting in the way like he used to be. They had both explored each other's bodies, not quite as extensively as they would be soon, but still. He knew Spencer would be the only girl on his mind now, and that's exactly how he wanted it.

"Yes." he breathed back, and she dove to meet his lips before he could return the question.

Spencer was more eager than he expected; she had already discarded the belt around her ribcage and was reaching for the hem of his t-shirt.

But Toby refused to make love to her awkwardly on the couch. He shuffled to the edge of the cushion as Spencer's lips found his neck and he wrapped her legs around his waist as he stood. He carried her across the loft, closing the bedroom door behind them.

If it was physically possible, Minin would have rolled his eyes.

Toby placed Spencer gently down on the end of the bed, but she wasn't letting him go that easily. Her legs still latched around his middle, she pushed the cotton material up, up, and over his head. Her lips imitated the pattern as she affectionately brushed along the newly exposed skin.

His hands gently cradled the back of her head as her mouth reached his shoulders, her palms now running freely up and down his buff arms. He tilted his head to meet her kiss, hitching her legs over his hips as he dragged them with surprising grace back towards the headboard.

Spencer giggled as she collapsed back onto the pillows, her hair fanning out and making her look even more like a goddess than she already did. Toby couldn't keep the happiness off his face either. She watched him carefully with a coy smile as he worked on unbuttoning her blouse. Pushing it off her shoulders, he leaned down to kiss her again, but she had already leapt to meet him. She blindly tossed her shirt somewhere to the left of them as the kissing turned serious and their bodies led the rest of the way.

Clothes began piling up haphazardly around the room, but they both were too lost in each other to care. Spencer wasn't sure she had ever been so desperate to be closer to someone. It was like she had a need to feel more of him- more skin, more warmth, more everything.

Toby, too, was finding it hard to explain the mirroring emotions he was feeling. He just knew that he felt like he couldn't get near enough to her. It wasn't a sexual need exactly—although her body was phenomenal and she knew how to use it—but more of an emotional drive. It wasn't until they actually connected that he found himself sighing in relief.

Toby's previous sexual experiences had never been tender like this, or loving, or filled with anything except fear and shame. But he knew that what he was experiencing with Spencer now was greater than anything he had ever known.

It helped that they seemed to be perfectly in sync. Sure, they had both done this with other people before so they didn't have the awkward clumsiness you might expect from a pair new to the act. But with a new partner you'd still expect some time needed to find your way, find a rhythm between each other, and work out what works and what doesn't. But Spencer and Toby didn't need time. They had had a natural rhythm to them since they were friends, in all respects; they should have known it would translate into the bedroom.

There were no words to be exchanged, besides the 'I love you's that they found themselves whispering in each other's ears whenever they had the chance and Toby's frequent murmur of how beautiful she was as he left kisses on every inch of skin he could reach.

When he felt her breathing change and saw that she was gripping the sheets tightly in one hand, he knew she was close. He could feel he too was brinking on the edge but he was desperate to get her to reach her high first.

His hand sought out hers, interlacing their fingers and resting it beside her head on the pillow as he deepened his thrusts and picked up speed.

Her eyes flashed open, gasping at the feel. It had felt good before, really good, but this… this was a whole new spectrum. She understood what he was trying to do and the contrast of lovemaking between Wren and Toby hit her square in the face; she nearly laughed out loud in relief at who she had chosen. Not that she had ever had any doubt in her mind, but it was nice to finally understand what it was like to not have a selfish lover. She stared deep in his eyes as he slowed his motions so they were more deliberate. Unable to help herself, she lunged to cover his mouth with hers.

Toby's heart clenched at the look in her eyes when she had caught his gaze. There was affection, trust, and just deep-rooted love staring back at him. It caused a swell in his heart and he felt almost near tears at the new experience. He could very much get used to this cloud nine bliss.

To his dismay, he felt himself becoming undone before he could stop himself and he shuddered as his body released its incredible high. Thankfully, Spencer was nearly in time with him. Finishing shortly after, her verbal reaction was muffled against his mouth as he kissed her repeatedly in appreciation.

Although separating was not at the top of his wish list at the moment, Toby knew he had to dispose of the condom and clean himself up a little. Once he returned to bed, Spencer cuddled into his side.

There was a comfortable silence between them as they simply let the new reality sink in.

Toby's fingertips gently drew circles against his girlfriend's bare back as she did the same to his solid chest. Tilting her head up, Spencer met Toby's oncoming long kiss. Her body was in an ooey-gooey state of satisfaction but the soft kiss still sparked a small flame low in her belly.

He smiled at her as he pulled back, brushing her cheek affectionately with his thumb as he cupped her face in one hand.

She turned her head to kiss his palm, smiling lovingly back at him.

"Definitely worth the wait." she murmured.

He pulled her into a hug, holding her close. "Definitely."

* * *

After a few more rounds, plenty more passionate and fiery but no less loving, Spencer lied contently in Toby's arms, her naked body wrapped around his.

She couldn't keep the smile off her face. She couldn't even find the proper adjective to describe what she was feeling. That fact alone only made her giddier.

It was true—Spencer Hastings was speechless.

She snuggled into Toby's warm shoulder, brushing her lips there as she closed her eyes. He was dozing in and out, but he reflexively held her closer, nuzzling her head in return and planting a soft kiss to her forehead in his sleepy state.

His breathing evened out again and Spencer let her fingertips trace circular patterns on his firm chest. Her eyes ran further downwards, a mischievous edge to her smile as they landed on the sheet covering his lower half. It was true that Toby was doing well for himself above the waist, but below the belt had high credentials too.

She averted her eyes from the rumpled sheet across his middle. They had made love so many times now, and she had a feeling the night was still young.

While Toby napped, Spencer found her mind reflecting further back. It was odd the difference between her relationship with Wren and hers with Toby. She knew she was happier with Toby, on so many levels, but just the contrast in the way she felt about herself was astonishing. Like the simple fact that she was more comfortable being naked around him surprised her. It's not as though she thought she was unattractive, but naturally she had insecurities about her body and being vulnerable around someone in such a way.

When she had been with Wren, after they had sex she'd usually bury herself under the sheets or get half-dressed. But with Toby, she had no care in the world about ever being covered up again. She felt so comfortable in her own skin, and that skin alone, around him.

It was the way he looked at her too. With Wren, she felt exposed. With Toby, she just felt… normal. It was natural to be this way with him. But she still blushed when she thought of the way he roved his eyes over her every time he was allowed to look. Wren had stared too, but not in the same manner. Toby had more of an I-can't-believe-you're-real look rather than I-can't-believe-I'm-about-to-get-laid-with-this-girl look. It sounded similar, but the tenderness and love in Toby's eyes made all the difference.

Her boyfriend finally woke up and he pulled her snugly against him, causing her to lay directly on top of him. She giggled, scrunching her nose at him teasingly when he opened his eyes with a smile.

"I am never going to get sick of waking up to your face." he said softly, leaning up to kiss her mouth gently.

Spencer smiled into his lips, letting them meet repeatedly in bliss. She was very much enjoying this pillow-talk kind of kissing.

Toby rolled them over so she was more comfortably positioned on her side. He ran his hands up and down her back in languid motions.

When he pulled back, he let out a content sigh as he gazed adoringly at her. "How are you?"

She could see his eyes subtly searching hers for any regret, but she had none to share. She simply beamed. "Perfect."

Toby suddenly slipped the sheet off of them and let his gaze explore her entire figure. "I'll say..." he flirted back as she blushed.

Spencer hauled his mouth onto hers and they kissed playfully, exchanging tickles and more flirtatious comments between them.

"Getting hungry?" she asked after a few minutes when his stomach rumbled.

"Post-coital munchies. I guess they do exist." Toby teased, stretching his arms above and causing her eyes to zone in on those deliciously defined abs of his.

She bit her lip unintentionally. Toby caught her staring and smirked. Naturally, she smacked his arm in annoyance.

"Let's go find something to eat." Spencer suggested, sliding to the edge of the bed, stretching her own arms upwards to break up the kinks in her shoulders.

Toby found himself watching her, mesmerized by her feminine figure. He had always known Spencer was beautiful, but tonight was only further proof. He had seen her in a whole new light. She had been carefree, passionate, powerful, and completely sexy. If he hadn't been so distracted by admiring the rest of her, he would've spent the entire time soaking in the blissful look on her gorgeous face.

"Toby? You coming?" she asked with a laugh, seeing his rather deer-in-headlights look.

He grinned and pulled her hand so she lost her balance and collapsed back on the bed.

"I've got a better idea..." Toby teased, rolling on top of her as she giggled and pulled him closer.


	18. Chapter 18

Hello beauties ! :)

Welcome to the FINAL chapter of FCAF. This is the end of the road I'm afraid, but never fear, for a sequel is in the works ;)

However, that being said, it won't be posted for a while. BUT that is because I have a new Spoby I'm planning on posting next week. I have about five chapters written for it already, as I wrote it a year ago. It was actually the first Spoby fic I ever wrote, so it's not the best thing in the world, but the concept is different from anything I've really seen on FF so I'm hoping you guys like it :)

More on all of this after this chapter at my other proper A/N! Apologies for the way this chapter jumps around and how unbelievably corny it is. I figure we all need a little Spoby fluff these days, right?!

ENJOY!

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

The white blanket had finally been pulled away from the ground. The rain fell, the flowers bloomed, and the sun warmed up to a comforting hug.

Spring had passed in a blur of finals, job opportunities, and internships. It was finally summer break and the entire gang was heading up to Spencer's lake house like they had talked about doing so long ago for some downtime before they got swept away in summer activities.

Ezra, Aria, Hanna, and Caleb had all piled into Ezra's car while Toby, Spencer, and Emily travelled up to Bucks County in the truck.

Emily had grown to be very comfortable being around Toby, and especially Toby and Spencer, so the drive up was more entertaining than anything. She had seen all that Toby had changed in her best friend, but there was even obvious growth in Toby since she had first met him. It was wonderful seeing the pair of them so happy and hopelessly in love.

But it certainly made for an interesting ride…

"Toby, you always drive! It's my lake house; I know the way!" Spencer complained.

"Spencer, it's MY truck! _I_ drive!" Toby retorted.

"And who GOT you that truck?"

"JASON."

"Oh don't you dare, Cavanaugh-"

"What are you going to do about it, HASTINGS?"

Emily meanwhile was sitting in the passenger seat trying to hide her laughter as the couple argued back in forth. There was volume in their argument, but no malice or true anger. Underneath the façade of annoyance and impatience was really just love and playfulness.

"Spencer! Don't touch the wheel! You're going to run us off the road!"

"Well I wouldn't HAVE to run us off the road if you would LET. ME. DRIVE."

"Both of you, put a sock in it! Don't make me turn this car around!" Emily yelled.

The two to her left swiveled their heads in her direction, then met each others eyes and burst out laughing. They were all laughing so hard Toby had to pull over.

He reached over and ruffled Emily's hair in appreciation before wrapping an arm around his girlfriend and squeezing her waist.

"Do you want to drive?" he asked her softly, turning her chin up so he could kiss her once on the lips.

She smiled and gazed back at him lovingly. "No, it's okay. It's your truck. You drive."

"Spencer, seriously, I've been driving for the last forty-five minutes, if you want to-"

"Oh for the love of god, _I_ will drive!" Emily shouted, knowing they could easily be at this all day, throwing open her door and going around to the other side of the truck.

Toby and Spencer looked at each other and back at Emily, and the three friends doubled over with laughter all over again.

* * *

Because of the delays, Spencer, Toby, and Emily arrived after the others. Spencer had given them the extra key ahead of time in case that did happen, so the four of them had already made themselves comfortable inside when the three late-arrivers entered with their suitcases.

Maybe a little too comfortable…

"Hanna! Caleb!" Spencer screeched upon entering the main living area, finding the two of them tangled up together on the couch engaging in some serious tonsil hockey.

Hanna pulled her mouth off of Caleb's, a little bit of a plunger being yanked out sound accompanying the motion, and looked at her friend in confusion.

"What?"

"That is my _nana's _couch." Spencer reminded her, going at the pair of them with a rolled up magazine and hitting them repeatedly until they scrambled off in terror. "You have a bedroom upstairs for crying out loud!"

"Well obviously. But the noise was a little distracting. Where do you think Aria and Ezra are right now…" Hanna commented, unable to stop the wicked smile from crossing her pretty face.

Spencer groaned. "Please tell me this is not going to be the Weekend of the Hormones."

"I'll behave, Spence." Emily teased her with a wink, dragging her suitcase upstairs.

Once the brunette disappeared, Spencer turned to Hanna with her hands on her hips. Caleb had pretended to busy himself with helping Toby, but his ally was in fact teasing him mercilessly for being scolded by his girlfriend.

"Can you try to control yourselves? We're trying to be supportive of Emily, remember? She's going to be feeling like a third wheel bad enough this weekend…"

"I know, Spence. Sheesh, you're such a mother hen."

Spencer corrected her throat awkwardly, not looking at Toby. "Well, somebody's got to be."

"It's been a couple months since Maya." Caleb reminded her.

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean the loneliness hasn't set in yet. You don't just get over someone you dated for two years in a matter of a few weeks. And it's not as though they ended on the best of terms."

"Yeah, well I wouldn't be happy if my ex started making snarky comments about one of my good friends either." Hanna interjected.

Toby joined the discussion. "They tried to make it work. It didn't. Maya's jealousy had been a problem before everything that happened with Samara. Emily kissing her was only a catalyst, not a reason for their fighting. It's been going on for a while."

"They tried to work through it but the snarky comments towards Samara and calling her things like a dumb blonde and a bimbo just made things clear to Em that things weren't going to work between them then. Who knows, they might get back together someday." Spencer added.

"All right, enough of all of that depressing crap. Who wants to go swimming?" the blonde suggested brightly.

With perfect timing too, since Aria, Ezra and Emily had just descended the stairs together and all offered their verbal agreement.

Spencer smiled. "I'll meet you guys down there in a while. I want to unpack first."

It didn't take much convincing since the five raced off, leaving only Toby behind to help her.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and accompanied her up the stairs.

"So do I get a tour later? It's a really beautiful spot."

"You definitely will. But first, I want to unload our stuff into the dresser and bathroom. Because after swimming everyone will probably be hungry. And then we'll get busy doing that and_ then_ the drinks will be pulled out and then we'll start some other activity like _movies _or _games_ and then everyone will get exhausted and go to bed and we'll have to unpack then and I won't feel like it but I won't want to sleep in my clothes-"

"Shh. We'll do it in a minute." Toby told her, cutting her off with his mouth as he swept his arms around her to hold her close. He kissed her softly and she melted against him, forgetting all about her rambling.

He backed them up towards the bed and positioned himself comfortably on top of her.

"We should really hurry or else they're going to assume we're doing exactly what we're going to be doing very soon if you don't… stop… mmm…." Spencer's argument became very weak when his lips slipped behind her ear. His teeth tugged on her earlobe playfully and she curled herself around him further.

"Okay, maybe being a little late is okay… we can just say we overpacked…" she murmured as she gently pushed his t-shirt over his head.

"Little late. Got it." he whispered back, covering her mouth with his again to cease all of the talking and get to making love to her like he had been longing to since they last had.

Since their first time, Spencer and Toby had managed to maintain a very healthy, but very active, sex life. It suited both of their needs plenty, but if anything, since the first time, they only wanted each other more.

Spencer had expected that sort of feeling to wear off once they satisfied themselves a few times, but she still had the undeniable need for him and all he had to offer even months later. If nothing else, she only wanted him more now.

But it was amazing at how much the love in their hearts had expanded. Toby thought he knew what the capacity of love was, but somehow, every day his for her grew stronger and to new heights that he never would've imagined. After they shared themselves that way, and again and again, it only increased tenfold.

Toby hoped he wasn't alone in feeling that way at least, or else later tonight might be a little awkward…

* * *

When Spencer and Toby finally rejoined their friends, either they had been having too much fun and were oblivious to how long they took inside or they simply didn't care because no one said a thing.

Chicken fights had broken out between the pairs, Spencer preferring to sit on the dock and referee while Emily took her place on Toby's shoulders. Her competitive nature kicked in before long and Hanna realized that there were actual living things in the water, so she had switched with Spencer and Emily had found herself being tossed onto Caleb's shoulders. In the end they had shuffled the girls around to maintain fairness and to find the true 'winners'.

Caleb and Emily ended up actually making a pretty solid team, although Spencer and Toby were a close second. Ezra and Aria, however, were a little too timid to truly be top competitors.

But they all had a hilarious time together and headed inside to BBQ some food and set up the campfire as the sun went down.

"Toby's staring at you again." Aria teased Spencer when they returned downstairs together after dinner, arm in arm.

Spencer caught Toby's gaze and smiled coyly. He let his eyes run her up and down and smiled slyly to let her know he was a big fan of the flowy sundress she had thrown on after her shower. Her hair was dried and in gentle waves now so she was feeling much more pretty than before.

"When is he not staring at her?" Hanna commented as she slid off the arm rest and onto the smidgen of room at the end of the couch, throwing her legs over her two best friends' laps.

Emily was nowhere to be seen and Spencer seemed to realize this just as the boys came further into the living room area and stood in front of the couch suspiciously.

"What's going on…?" Spencer asked slowly, starting to get concerned.

But Emily came out next, holding a candlelit cake in her hands, and grinning brightly at her best friend.

"C'mon Spence, you didn't think we'd miss singing you _Happy Birthday_, did you?!" she teased.

"I was really hoping you would…" she admitted with a laugh, but was more than touched as the group started singing the traditional song to her, with a few variations from Caleb and Ezra thrown in.

"Make a wish, Spencer!" Aria squealed excitedly, shaking her arm as the cake was placed nicely in front of them on the coffee table.

"Why make a wish when I have everything I could ever want right here?" Spencer asked, her eyes flickering to Toby's for a moment as she smiled even wider.

"Wish! Wish! Wish! Wish!" the group chanted loudly, and, rolling her eyes, Spencer blew out the nineteen candles in one long exhale.

They all broke out into cheers and the chatter picked up once again. Caleb and Hanna started fighting over which piece they would get while Aria, Emily and Ezra egged them on. Spencer stood to hug Toby closely, knowing that as much as her friends had been the ones to concoct this plan, it was clear he had helped. She nuzzled into his chest, smiling at the sight of all of her friends before her, laughing and loving their time spent together. She missed moments like this. This trip was really the best gift she could possibly ask for, getting a chance to spend so much time with everyone and be able to feel like a teenager again.

"What did you wish for?" Toby asked her softly, running his fingers up and down her back gently.

She turned her face up to smile at him. "I wished for more moments like this and for my future to always be with you." she admitted, stealing his hand to kiss his knuckles tenderly.

Toby couldn't muster words to respond with so he simply held her closer, letting her know the feeling was mutual.

* * *

"Okay, this whole kidnapping thing is illegal, you realize that, right?" Spencer said tiredly, having succumbed to being led away into the dark night by her boyfriend while her friends laughed, oddly giddily, at the top of the hill before scampering off to complete the last of the plan.

Against Spencer's wishes, her friends had brought birthday presents for her to open. Toby, however, always unpredictable, had insisted that his gift was outside after all that was said and done. The others seemed in on his plan, and it was Toby, so she put her trust in him and followed him dutifully.

Toby merely laughed at Spencer's irritation. "It'll be worth it, I promise." he told her as he helped her get in the canoe.

"If I fall in, so help me Toby Cavanaugh…" Spencer warned, looking nervously in at the dark water. There could be zombies in there for all she knew.

"I'll jump in after you." he promised as he rowed them out into the middle of the lake.

Although the sight of his arms flexing in such a way was distracting, the unknown contents of the water was still looming. "Still won't save you from my wrath."

He rolled his eyes and slowed his rowing down as they floated in the middle of the lake.

"We are going to _land, _right?! You're not just going to leave us out here, are you?!" Spencer panicked. She could barely see the island a few feet ahead or the shoreline twenty-something feet back.

He shook his head at her amusedly. "You know, you're probably the bravest girl I know for so many things… but who knew you were such a worrywart."

"Toby. We are in the middle of a deep lake that harbours all kinds of different creatures at night. I'm just being practical."

"Can you stop panicking so I can give you your present properly?" he asked kindly.

Spencer sighed and got a hold of herself. She didn't know why her survival skills were kicking in so much. She just knew that she was more paranoid than ever.

But she figured it stemmed from being in the dark about what was going on. She knew Toby had something up his sleeve; she just couldn't even fathom a guess as to what it was.

Toby smiled when he saw her relax. He took her hands in his.

"I'm going to tell you a story."

Spencer licked her lips as she watched him intently, curious.

"There once was a boy who thought he'd never find his way. He wasn't unhappy, but he was lost. He thought he knew what he wanted out of life—freedom from his family, a decent job, some cool friends, and a place to call his own. He was comfortable on his own. In fact, he was better on his own. He was sure of that much."

"Until one day, the unsuspecting boy ran into a girl. A clumsy girl." Cue an annoyed glare from Spencer and Toby nearly cracking up. "Who dropped her pen in French class on the first day. The politeness his late mother had enforced in him prevailed and he handed it to her. When he finally got a look at her, he realized she was the most beautiful girl in all of the land. Before long he learned more about her, like that she had a smile that could light up a citywide power outage. Eyes that he could never grow bored of looking in. Secrets that he wanted to know, a heart he wanted to have, and a life he wanted to share with her. He found himself falling in love with her and in a few short months, she had turned his entire world around."

Spencer brushed at the corner of her eye, trying to stop the tears that were building. Toby's affectionate tone was only driving the story of how they came to be further home.

"The boy grew into a man because of her. Those things he wanted out of life, the values he had? Changed completely. He didn't find freedom from his family; he rediscovered them. It seemed he truly wanted acceptance all along. And with this amazing girl's help, he was given that. He found a way to gain it. She helped him befriend some amazing people, helped him see that he truly had a bright future, and helped him discover the place he had always dreamed about without even realizing. This amazing girl, woman, _angel,_ had bettered his life the second she walked into it, and only continues to do so every day."

"Toby…" Spencer murmured, wiping quickly at the fresh falling tears that weren't stopping any time soon.

"Flash forward a few months. This beautiful woman had helped him overcome so many demons and downfalls in his life that even he has lost track. She found a way to love and accept him for exactly who he is, while still making him a better person, man, every day. She taught him what the meaning of loving someone so much you'd do anything for them. She showed him that who he is is pretty damn incredible. And for someone who spent a large majority of their life hating themselves, it was a very amazing thing."

"This man realized that it was about time he let this woman know what she truly meant to him. She already had his heart, but he wanted to give her more. He wanted to give her everything. He would do anything just to see a smile on her face…" Toby trailed off, grinning, looking toward the sky.

Spencer turned her tear-filled face upwards and gasped.

And then she burst out laughing giddily, nearly tipping the boat over when she lunged at him in a hug.

There were floating lanterns flying up above the lake in the sky. It was just like _Tangled_. There were _tons_ of them. It was clear that this is what her friends had been busying themselves with. She turned to see them waving and lighting more.

Spencer jumped when the boat suddenly nudged the dock of the island.

Toby smiled and jumped out, offering his hand. "I've got some for us to set off. I just wanted you to have the best view when you saw them for the first time."

Spencer giggled like a little kid on her first bike ride and eagerly headed towards where he was pointing.

Toby held the lighter and helped her light the first one of the pile he had sneakily brought over while she was showering earlier.

She pushed it upwards with all her might and laughed happily at the sight of it twirling in the night sky, lighting up the lake with its beautiful reflection. All of them were painting quite a delightful picture on the once-scary water. It was such a sight to see.

She turned back around to see Toby's reaction, but her hand suddenly came up to her mouth and her tears restarted.

Toby was on bended knee in front of her now, his face a little nervous but his eyes determined and full of the fires of love.

He took her hand and she pressed her hand harder against her mouth to muffle her cries.

"Spencer Hastings… I can't even begin to properly explain all that you have brought me in my life since you have come into it. All I can say is that you are the best thing to happen to me. Tonight, this, was just a metaphor. You are my light. You are my angel. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life treasuring you and protecting you and making sure you know how special you really are. You are everything to me. You are the love of my life. And I know we're young, but I also know that no matter how long I live I will never love anyone the way I love you. Please do me the honour of becoming my wife. Spencer, will you marry me?" he finally asked, popping open the ring-box.

The ring was a beautiful vintage white gold with a pink middle diamond with two smaller white diamonds on either side. It looked like something out of the old movies Spencer always was watching. Nothing store bought would have perfectly fit her the way that ring did.

"It was my grandmother's. When me and dad visited her in April, she gave it to me after I admitted that I was considering proposing. She still has her wedding band, but she wanted us to have it. You've seen how in love my grandparents still are; she just wanted to wish that luck on us too."

Spencer finally managed to pull herself together and corrected her throat. "We don't need luck to have that. We already do. Toby, you don't even need to ask, I'm yours. Of course I'll marry you."

But of course, by the time she got to the end of the sentence, she was practically blubbering all over again, but that was besides the point.

She threw her arms around his neck as he leapt to his feet to slide the ring on her finger. She kissed him long and hard on the mouth, giggling when he picked her up and spun her around joyfully, feeling happier than he ever had.

They kissed under the lanterns for a long time before returning to shore to share the happy moment with their friends. The girls all oohed and ahhed over the beautiful ring while the boys clapped Toby on the shoulder and offered their congrats and pride over his courage.

Spencer found her way back into Toby's arms as they all stared up at the lanterns floating away. She had never felt this sort of ease, this sort of bliss, and she knew it was more than just the summer break or being with her closest friends at her favorite vacation spot.

No, Spencer was at ease for once because everything was _exactly _as it should be.

Toby had narrated their story to her earlier that evening, but she was more than grateful that that was only the beginning of it all. Because if it had more moments like this, it could very easily be the greatest story ever told.

* * *

_The End_

* * *

SO that's the end!

I've actually had this Tangled/floating lanterns on the lake house lake/proposal thing planned since I began Friend Zone. It was a scene that came into my mind very early on, hence the constant mention of that movie. I also started this story with the friends discussing the idea of going to the lake house just to sort of build up to this :)

If you're as clever as many of you are, you already saw this coming, and you probably even picked up on the little hints I dropped in this chapter about what to expect in the sequel too ;)

I considered ending this story on a dangerous cliffhanger, but I think fluff was the main point of these stories, so I stuck with it. Next story might be a bit more dramatic, but I haven't decided exactly what I'm doing yet. I just know that there are characters I haven't explored yet that I very much would like to, especially in this AU world I've created.

If it wasn't obvious, it was June 14th, which is supposedly Spencer's birthday. Well, according to the bottle of pills she is taking in 2x18. I do my research ;) But it hopefully explains why I've been trying to speed the time along and mentioning the seasons passing or certain dates passing as I've been telling the story, because I wanted Spoby's anniversary to happen, but I also wanted this summertime/on Spencer's birthday proposal and for it to have been a decent length of a relationship. So if your math isn't great, that puts them at a solid blissful seven month relationship :)

Not that I'm suggesting anyone get engaged that early or this young, but, well, it's Spoby. Who can blame me?

ANYWAYS I absolute love you guys. Your response to this story has been beyond touching, beyond amazing, beyond anything I could ask for. I love you all more than I can possibly find the words for. You all inspire me.

SPEAKING OF I mentioned a new Spoby. To my beautiful tumblr prompt person, your Troigan is on its way, it has been started, I'm just working out the kinks. It will be posted ASAP. But as for the Spoby story, I'm on March Break this next week and am hoping to get a solid amount of work put into it so I can start posting. For all those that are curious and that do not follow me on twitter ( phoenix9648), it is a story that plays as a PREQUEL to the show. It's another AUish story, and it begins the summer before The Jenna Thing/Ali's disappearance. Want to know more? You'll have to wait and find out ;)

Goodbye for now. As promised, there will be a sequel to this story, but it won't be for a while I'm afraid. My inspiration is just elsewhere at the moment and I never want to leave you guys with such breaks between chapters as I did with this story. So once I figure it out and get some chapters fully written, I'll begin posting.

As I said, LOVE YOU! I really hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. You're all perfect. I love you. Bye for now x3


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